Fresh produce group invests stake in tech startup Decapolis to provide end-to-end traceability for consumers
Fresh Del Monte Produce has announced it has invested a 39 per cent stake in Decapolis, a Jordanian and UK-based startup technology company that provides a blockchain-driven food safety and quality traceability technology for the food industry.
According to Del Monte, the investment is part of its technology-driven mission to offer best-in-class, innovative solutions for its products and services, and to provide sustainable solutions that other businesses and industries can benefit from.
The two companies plan to roll out Decapolis Food Guard (DFG), the blockchain-based traceability solution, across all Fresh Del Monte business segments, starting with Fresh Del Monte’s pineapple operations in Costa Rica.
The group said that Decapolis Food Guard provided full traceability solutions through the DFG chain of records which captured assessments at each stage of production, from planting to distribution, through the use of QR codes.
”Deploying blockchain technology ensures data remains immutable and QR codes on product labels certify end-to-end traceability,” Del Monte stated. ”Anyone who scans the QR code will be able to see a complete log of product information from farm to fork. This traceability process allows for trusted record keeping in the supply chain, whether it impacts consumer knowledge, food safety, or quality analysis.”
Fresh Del Monte and Decapolis are also planning to provide the Decapolis Food Guard to other interested businesses.
“Now more than ever, consumers are very cognizant of what goes into their food,” said Mohammad Abu-Ghazaleh, Fresh Del Monte chairman and chief executive officer.
”With this blockchain technology, they’ll know exactly what has gone into the product, and where it has traveled until the moment it was purchased for consumption,” he said. ”We’re excited to begin rolling out this traceability solution to all Fresh Del Monte products.”
Decapolis has successfully developed and deployed the solution in the private and public sector, spanning four continents, and has expressed optimism about its promising partnership with Fresh Del Monte.
“We are in the business of doing good,” said Abedalrhman Habashneh, Decapolis founder and CEO. ”We embark on this endeavor with full confidence in our company, our offerings, service, and the people we serve.
”It will surely be a promising and fruitful venture, a force multiplier to work that positively impacts communities, families, and the future of healthy living and technology for good,” Habashneh added. “We remain steadfast in moving towards our vision of becoming the leading global reference platform for compliance and certification for food trade worldwide.”
