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Finding Nemo: A Journey on the Blockchain

Imagine if Nemo was a salmon born and raised in a fish farm in Norway. And imagine if his life, including how many roommates he had, his environment and every meal he ate, was recorded. His death (mainly manner and date) were also recorded. His post-mortem journey to the U.S. was recorded, including where he may have stopped along the way, before making his way to the seafood section of your local grocery store. Now imagine if you could scan a QR code to get a snapshot of Nemo's life, death and journey to the U.S. before deciding to purchase him and do so knowing that his provenance is accurate and reliable. If you're lucky enough to patronize certain Whole Foods, you may be able to do this soon.

A major producer of salmon in Norway is working to bring more transparency to its practices using blockchain as the infrastructure. As increasing numbers of consumers become mindful of environmental sustainability and ethical eating, these types of supply chain efforts will become more commonplace. And as blockchain becomes more widely adopted, I can't help but wonder if these types of practices will one day be mandated by law. Only time will tell.

If you could scan a QR code in the grocery store to find out what your meat/fish ate during its life or how it was slaughtered, would you? Would that information affect your buying decisions? Tweet me at @blockchainblawg to let me know what you think.

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