The problem: The lack of traceability as to the origin of a product can cause significant disruptions in the production and distribution of goods, but also poses serious fraud risks. More specifically, bad or counterfeit wines may be produced and marketed when they can’t be traced at all stages effectively, thus affecting the consumers’ confidence. Fraud can be detected at all parts of the wine supply chain with methods such as adulteration with low-quality raw materials and wines from different geographical indications dilution, replacement of packaging contents and forgery of packages and labels. According to the European Commission's Science and Knowledge Service, wine fraud costs the regular EU wine sector an estimated 1.3 billion euros per year, around 3% of the total sales value. Moreover, consumers are becoming increasingly aware of environmental and consumption issues, hence, the availability of traceability information can be of added value.
WATSON solution: This pilot focuses on a blockchain-based platform that enables consumers to access information related to the wine they purchase (locations and sensor data throughout the full growth cycle). Such information can also be made accessible to farmers and producers. Technologies will cover secure data sharing, real-time data collection from IoT sensors, reliable and secure data access.