China’s Drug and Food Administration’s continues to come down hard on food fraud with the introduction of tougher regulations in 2015, particularly regarding substitution.

This is important work to protect Chinese consumers from food fraud and to improve food safety outcomes. The risk of beef substitution is likely to intensify as China moves to lift tariffs on imported beef from the US from 12% to 37% in response to USA President Trump’s recent escalation of trade protection measures against Chinese products.

Beefledger’s recent work on blockchain technology will be crucial in validating the country of origin, particularly for beef products. In focusing on the increased risk of substitution of beef products, Beefledger’s technology and platform will provide confidence for the consumer by identifying a product’s origin and provenance and the route travelled.

The Chinese Government intends to reduce the 7.2% tariff on all Australian beef products down to zero soon. By credentialing beef products using blockchain technologies, this becomes the first step in creating a globally respected framework that protects the reputation of food merchants and gives consumers further confidence to purchase beef products.

Australian food products have a high level of credibility in China and are keenly sought after Recent surveys by the Meat and Livestock Association show country of origin to be the number one factor in purchasing imported beef amongst Chinese consumers.

Another advantage of Beefledger technology for Australian food growers and food manufacturers is how our platform supports existing traceability systems, which increases the sense of quality and safety associated with Australian products.