Did the chicken you just buy at the supermarket have a nice life, roam free, and eat healthy grains? If you’re the kind of person who cares, Carrefour SA, the big France-based grocery chain, has the bird for you. Every chicken it sells under its house brand comes complete with its very own life story, thanks to the wonders of blockchain software. All you need to do is scan the label with your smartphone to get all the details. An error has occurred You have 1 free Businessweek article...

Blockchain ledgers can cut trading costs, minimize fraud risk Promise of more security, fewer documents draws BP, Tyson, UBS Blockchain is upending the world’s financial markets with the rise of bitcoin, and now the digital-ledger system is poised to do the same next year for raw materials like food and energy. Companies including BP Plc, ABN Amro Group NV and Mercuria Energy Group Ltd. said last month they will adapt blockchain to streamline physical energy transactions. In October, four...

Technology set to improve efficiency, Rabobank analyst says Food-fraud costs industry $40 billion a year, university says The technology that tracks bitcoin transactions is set to revolutionize the food chain. Blockchain, the distributed ledger technology, will lower transaction costs for food companies, improve efficiency and create new business opportunities, said Harry Smit, a senior analyst at Rabobank International. Firms should explore options to adapt to the new technology or risk...

Using bitcoin’s blockchain ledgers as template for gold trades Bid to make $27 billion of bullion buying faster, more secure The blockchain revolution is gunning for the gold market. Public online ledgers that emerged from the explosive markets for bitcoin, a virtual currency, already have drawn the attention of businesses from banks to retailers who see blockchain systems as a revolutionary way to verify and record transactions. Now, companies including exchange owner CME Group Inc., IEX...