Cargill piloting traceable turkeys

Wichita, Kan., November 30, 2017 – Consumers can now trace Honeysuckle White brand turkeys from a family farm to their table as part of a new pilot project enabled by Cargill.

Shoppers in select markets can simply text or enter an on-package code at HoneysuckleWhite.com to access the farm’s location by state and county, view the family farm story, see photos from the farm and read a message from the farmer.

For years, the Honeysuckle White brand has surveyed consumers about transparency.

In 2014, it found 44 per cent of turkey consumers think it is important for companies to be transparent in their practices.

Studies in 2016 revealed 73 per cent of consumers feel positively about companies that are transparent about where and how their products are made, grown or raised.

Also, more than half of consumers consider farmers one of the most trusted sources on food-related issues.

This year, the brand held consumer focus groups that confirmed consumers feel good about buying turkey raised by family farmers.

These insights led the company to develop and pilot a first-to-market blockchain-based solution for turkey in partnership with Cargill.

Blockchain models build a trusted, transparent food chain that integrate key stakeholders into the supply chain and create a distributed ledger with immutable records.

Because all participants inside the blockchain network must agree before a new record is added to a ledger, the technology also reduces the risk of fraud or human error, and cryptography within the network ensures security, authentication and integrity of transactions.

“The transparency pilot with Honeysuckle White brand turkeys is one example of how we are using technology to shape the food system of the future and deliver on consumers’ desire for transparency in food,” Deb Bauler, Cargill chief information officer for North American Protein, said in a press release

Cargill will use the pilot as an opportunity to learn more about the value of traceability in its turkey supply chain.

Turkeys that are part of the Honeysuckle White brand transparency pilot will be primarily available in retailers in the Texas market for the pilot year.