# Carrefour Bio Product Transparency with Blockchain

> Since April 2022, Carrefour has been using blockchain technology for its organic private label products to provide consumers with complete transparency about origin and production methods. Customers can scan a QR code on the product label to access detailed information about the producer, location, harvest date, quality characteristics, and organic certification. The first implemented product was organic dessert oranges from Spain, with plans to expand to other Carrefour Bio product lines.

**Sector:** Tertiary sector · **Industry:** E-commerce · **Organisation:** Carrefour · **Maturity level:** Production

Canonical URL: https://www.sapientblock.com/en/use-cases/carrefour-bio-herkunft-qr-code-beweisen

## Documentation status

- **Project status:** Production
- **Evidence:** Evidence medium
- **Editorial review:** Ufuk Avci, 15 April 2026

## Description

In March 2018, Carrefour became the first European retailer to launch blockchain food traceability — initially for chicken from Auvergne, together with IBM (Hyperledger). Customers scan QR codes on packaging and receive complete product biographies. In 2019, additional products were added: tomatoes, eggs (Loué), Rocamadour cheese, Gillot fresh milk, Norwegian salmon, Christmas chicken. From April 2022, expansion to the organic private label (Carrefour Bio) — as the world’s first retailer to use blockchain on its own organic products. First Carrefour Bio product: Spanish dessert oranges (pack of 4).

Carrefour, the French supermarket giant with 12,300 stores in over 30 countries, began in 2018 as a founding member of the IBM Food Trust platform with blockchain food traceability. First use case: chicken from Auvergne (March 2018), initially using Ethereum Solidity smart contracts. The blockchain checks, for example, whether chickens have reached the legal minimum age of 81 days at slaughter. By 2019, seven more products of the Carrefour Quality Line were included. With the expansion to the Carrefour Bio private label (April 2022), Carrefour became the first retailer worldwide to use blockchain on its own organic products. QR code information includes: producer name, field location, packaging site, transport means (origin/route), harvest date, analysis results, variety, seasonality, organic certificate, conversion date and producer initiatives. Carrefour used IBM Food Trust because national brands like Nestlé did not want to establish separate blockchain connections for each retailer.

## Benefits

- Retailers can differentiate themselves from competitors through demonstrable transparency and strengthen trust with business partners.
- Consumers gain full control and transparency over the origin of their organic food.
- Blockchain technology creates complete transparency along the entire supply chain of organic products.
- Consumers can instantly and easily access verified product information.
- Trust in organic products is strengthened through tamper-proof documentation.
- Employees have access to complete product information and can competently answer customer questions.

## Challenges

- Implementation requires investment in technology and training of employees along the entire supply chain.
- Integrating blockchain technology into existing systems requires technical expertise and resources.
- All supply chain actors must be motivated and enabled to continuously maintain data.
- Employees must familiarise themselves with new digital systems and assist customers in their use.

## Technology foundation

The blockchain solution creates an immutable digital record of all information along the supply chain of organic products. This technology is particularly well suited for food transparency as it enables tamper-proof documentation of origin, transport, and quality data.

## Sources

- [Carrefour applies blockchain to its organic products](https://www.freshplaza.com/europe/article/9418765/carrefour-applies-blockchain-to-its-organic-products/)
- [Carrefour to introduce blockchain for own brand organic products](https://organicinsider.com/carrefour-to-introduce-blockchain-for-own-brand-organic-products/)