# Walmart Blockchain-based Supply Chain Management

> Walmart uses blockchain technology for complete traceability of food products in the supply chain and reduced tracing time for mangos to 2.2 seconds. The system is based on Hyperledger Fabric in partnership with IBM and VeChain for the China platform. Since 2018, over 25 products from various suppliers are being tracked in production, including leafy greens, strawberries, dairy products, and meat.

**Sector:** Tertiary sector · **Industry:** Retail · **Organisation:** Walmart · **Maturity level:** Production

Canonical URL: https://www.sapientblock.com/en/use-cases/walmart-lebensmittelrueckrufe-sekunden-starten

## Documentation status

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

## Description

Walmart uses IBM Food Trust (Hyperledger Fabric) for real-time food traceability. The pilot test with mangoes showed: traceability time reduced from 6 days, 18 hours, 26 minutes to 2.2 seconds. This enables precise recalls: only the actually affected batches are recalled, not entire product categories.

After the E.coli outbreak in romaine lettuce in 2018, US authorities took seven days to locate the contamination source — during which time the public continued to consume the contaminated product. Walmart and IBM had already been working on a solution since 2016. The result: IBM Food Trust based on Hyperledger Fabric. Suppliers upload product data via a web interface; IBM writes the chaincode. In the mango pilot test, traceability time dropped to 2.2 seconds (from nearly 7 days). The system enables precise recalls: Walmart can immediately identify the exactly affected batches in case of contamination and recall only these — instead of blocking entire product categories. According to Walmart's letter to suppliers: "We have demonstrated that we can reduce the time to trace an item from the store back to the source to seconds, compared to days or sometimes weeks." From 2020, IBM Food Trust was made mandatory for all Walmart leafy greens suppliers. IBM estimates a 50% reduction in food waste through more targeted recalls.

## Benefits

- International shipping times are reduced by up to 40% through optimized cross-border management and automated processes.
- Traceability of contaminated food in 2.2 seconds instead of days enables rapid responses to safety issues.
- Cost reduction of up to 30% in supply chain operating costs through automation and efficiency improvements.
- Complete transparency in the supply chain reduces disputes and improves collaboration among all parties involved.
- Employees are freed from manual data tracking and paperwork and can focus on value-adding activities.

## Challenges

- Full supplier adoption requires extensive training and proof of return on investment for all parties involved.
- Integration with existing legacy systems requires sophisticated middleware and API solutions as well as significant technical expertise.
- Scalability of blockchain technology had to be addressed through Layer-2 solutions and improved consensus mechanisms.
- Employees and suppliers must be trained in the new blockchain technology, which requires time and resources.

## Technology foundation

The system mainly uses Hyperledger Fabric, a private blockchain platform of the Linux Foundation, in partnership with IBM. Additionally, VeChain technology is used for the Chinese platform to track 23 product lines and ensure product authenticity.

## Sources

- [Walmart's blockchain pilots: lessons learned](https://www.freightamigo.com/en/blog/logistics/walmarts-blockchain-pilots-lessons-learned/)
- [Blockchain in the food supply chain](https://tech.walmart.com/content/walmart-global-tech/en_us/blog/post/blockchain-in-the-food-supply-chain.html)
- [Disrupting the supply chain game, the Walmart way](https://tech.walmart.com/content/walmart-global-tech/en_us/blog/post/disrupting-the-supply-chain-game-the-walmart-way.html)
- [Walmart supply chain automation Q4 earnings](https://www.supplychaindive.com/news/walmart-supply-chain-automation-q4-earnings/812721/)
- [Blockchain Impact on Supply Chain Efficiency Metrics](https://zoetalentsolutions.com/blockchain-impact-on-supply-chain-efficiency-metrics/)