Suppliers
Your CHAIN-TRACE enabled software prints the QR code on the bill of lading, invoice, case or pallet label. You decide what information is shared. See how traceability data is captured.
Fresh produce off-chain traceability
CHAIN-TRACE helps suppliers protect their IP and prove provenance while sharing only what they choose. Zero cost to the supplier – no new software, hardware, consulting, training or subscription.
One code, three audiences
Purchasers
Scan the QR for instant verification and traceability details. No username, no password, no app and no registration. View a sample purchaser verification.
End consumers
Scan the QR on the consumer pack to see the supplier's chosen traceability and marketing information, and send product feedback. View a sample consumer verification.
Verify a CHAIN-TRACE key
Every code resolves to a verification report confirmed by multiple nodes. Try the samples: purchaser report and consumer report.
How CHAIN-TRACE off-chain works
Supplier data gathered
Traceability and any other chosen supply chain data is recorded in the supplier's software.
Barcode applied
The supplier prints the code on whatever they choose: pallet, bill of lading, invoice, case or retail unit.
Purchasers scan
Wholesalers and retailers scan to see the supplier's traceability and quality details and submit return or credit requests.
Consumers scan
Consumers scan the retail unit for the supplier's marketing, traceability and quality information, and send feedback.
All of these details are controlled by the supplier. Compare approaches in on-chain vs off-chain traceability.
About CHAIN-TRACE
CHAIN-TRACE is a consortium of industry interests promoting transparency, trust and traceability of food, fresh produce and seed stock. The goal is a flexible, low-cost service that traceability software vendors can build into their products.
- Global nodes for redundancy
- Designed for food and fresh produce business applications
- Network engineered on Hyperledger Fabric
- Public verification interface, permissions based
Governance of CHAIN-TRACE
Consortium
The CHAIN-TRACE consortium agrees on development and standards.
Development
Consortium members supply the development resources that build and test prototypes.
Analytics
Members trial new platform configurations and feed results back, iteration by iteration.
Go live
Once the consortium approves, the new configuration is pushed to every node worldwide.
New members need founding-member approval and must contribute technical services and financial support where vendor subscriptions don't cover costs. Membership requires a $250k token purchase.
Industries supported by CHAIN-TRACE
Why traceability matters for fresh produce
Fresh produce changes after harvest and loses value quickly, so buyers and consumers increasingly want to know where it was grown, when it was picked and how it was handled before it reached the shelf. Regulators require it too: the EU's Regulation (EC) 178/2002 made one-step-forward, one-step-back traceability mandatory for food businesses in Europe, and the US FSMA 204 Food Traceability Rule adds lot-level record keeping for high-risk foods such as leafy greens, tomatoes, peppers and melons.
Questions
What is off-chain traceability?
The traceability data lives in an encrypted file outside the blockchain; only a fingerprint (hash) of the file is written on-chain. Anyone can check the file hasn't been altered, without the chain having to store the data itself.
Who controls what is shown?
The supplier. Purchasers and consumers only see the information the supplier chose to share.