KT to use blockchain technology to stop halal food fraud

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The largest telecommunications company in South Korea, KT, announced on October 8 that they are developing a blockchain platform that will be used to ensure food that is marked as halal is authentic. This is essential to Muslims across the globe, who must eat foods that are compliant with Islamic law.

This new platform will ensure that food that is labeled as such can be guaranteed as authentic. KT will work with the Korea Muslim Federation and with blockchain company B-Square Lab to develop the platform. It will be referred to as the Halal Authentication Trust Platform.

The platform will be instituted to process the proper authentication, issuing certificates for the foods using blockchain technology. All products will receive a QR code that will verify their status. Customers will be able to check all expiration dates and be able to monitor where the food was packaged and its distribution route. This will ensure that it is made within compliance and that the product has not been substituted along the way.

Currently, most Halal certification is done using logos on packages or by providing some form of documentation. These kinds of authentication are clearly vulnerable to fraud and can be a major concern for those in the Islamic faith.

The Qur’an dictates strict dietary laws regarding food and its preparation. It is understandable that Muslims would want to ensure that foods were properly prepared and met all Islamic laws regarding diet. This platform will allow them to have peace of mind.

According to the Muslim Federation, 1.9 billion people consume Halal food each year. This market constitutes a $3.64 trillion industry worldwide. This is a big business and something that needs to be protected.

Currently, there are 300 vendors in Korea that offer a total of 1000 foodstuffs that have been approved by the Federation. KT hopes that this platform will not only allow them to provide authentication for Muslims in Korea but could be used across the globe.

KT is not the first to institute such a platform using a blockchain system. Currently, TE-Food is already doing this in the United Kingdom. Their platform uses this technology to process over 18,000 pigs and 200,000 chickens every day.

KT has been actively deploying blockchain technology in several areas, even in their own systems. They recently developed a new platform to settle rewards points for those using the BC card.