Alibaba rolls out blockchain to tackle fake eggs, rice and other food items

Shoppers in China can now get a definitive answer on whether a product they’ve just bought is fake or legit – by simply scanning a code with their phones.

It’s part of a new trial that Alibaba has just rolled out, using an incorruptible blockchain database – the technology behind Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies – to track an authentic item going from a manufacturer to a consumer.

Alibaba, China’s online shopping giant, is initially testing its fakes-fighter with food items imported from Australia and New Zealand.

Just two products – one from Anchor and one from Blackmores – are part of the trial, an Alibaba representative told Tech in Asia over the weekend.

Once the item arrives with the buyer in China, he or she can scan a special QR code to see the blockchain-verified database that shows it’s a genuine product.

The goal of the programme – first announced in theory in March 2017 – is to use the blockchain database to “achieve end-to-end supply chain traceability and transparency to enhance consumer confidence and build a trusted environment for cross-border trade,” said Alibaba in a statement.