Savoir Terre: telling the story of sustainable agriculture

Market in South of France

One of France’s leading flour producers and subsidiary of the Axereal grain cooperative — Axiane Meunerie — recently launched the first flour using blockchain technology that showcases a collective effort towards sustainable agriculture. Consumers who want to check the quality of the flour they buy for baking can now scan the flash code on the bag to access information about the journey from seeds and origination through to storage and processing. Called Savoir Terre, this is the first flour product in France to provide consumers with a story that links field to bag. While making their choice among many different brands, consumers can particularly get to know the farmer behind the product, as well as how the brand addresses environmental, social, and economic dimensions in its agricultural practices.

At a time when consumers increasingly look for transparency from the food industry, blockchain applications could help facilitate values-based supply chains (VBSCs) that appeal to consumer expectations regarding purpose and impact. Some particular characteristics of these supply chains are that they can maintain the identity of the farmers who grow a product and communicate the environmental and social benefits accrued throughout the supply chain to buyers. According to a research commissioned by the Dutch Ministry of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality, blockchain technology could help ensure food integrity by facilitating transparency and trust in food chains. More than 90% of the respondents in the 2016 Label Insight Food Revolution Study indicated the importance of buying from transparent manufacturers. In the case of Axiane Meunerie, the blockchain company Connecting Food was able to create value for the brand by connecting farmers to consumers, an important element in the product’s brand building and positioning.

In the US, the Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food Compass’ objective is to showcase “the innovation, entrepreneurship and impact of local food systems across the country”. There are some examples of values-based supply chains that involve partnerships throughout the value chain among key stakeholders that include producers, distributors, and retailers, who share common environmental, economic, and social values[i]. Along the same line, France’s biggest grain cooperative Axereal was able to…