Top 10: Companies Using Blockchain

Blockchain improves manufacturing across all industries, but particularly for global food companies by delivering real-time transparency across complex supply chains.

The technology creates an immutable record of every ingredient’s journey, from source to factory, helping manufacturing leaders verify origin, track quality and reduce delays or contamination risks. This enhances traceability, simplifies audits and ensures compliance with food safety standards.

Blockchain also improves coordination with global suppliers by enabling shared, tamper-proof data, reducing disputes and streamlining logistics. For manufacturers, this results in greater efficiency, reduced waste and faster response during recalls. 

To understand more about these benefits, we take a closer look at 10 food companies using blockchain to enhance their manufacturing output. 

10. Tyson Foods

Revenue: $53.3bn (FY 2024)

Founded: 1935

CEO: Donnie King

Multinational food giant Tyson Foods has been an early adopter of blockchain, implementing it to enhance transparency and traceability across its complex global supply chain. By collaborating with FoodLogiQ – it has previously also worked with IBM – Tyson can track poultry products from farm to processing facilities, ensuring product authenticity and safety. This integration allows for real-time data sharing among stakeholders, reducing the risk of contamination and improving recall efficiency. Direct benefits to the company’s manufacturing processes include better control and response capabilities, improved quality control and more effective decision making. 

9. General Mills

Revenue: $19.9bn (FY 2024)

Founded: 1928

CEO: Jeffrey Harmening

General Mills has embarked on a digital transformation journey that encompasses several innovative technologies, including the integration blockchain to streamline supply chain operations, improve sustainability and enhance manufacturing visibility and quality control. By digitising its processes, the company also reduces waste and improves traceability, both of which help streamline manufacturing. Blockchain enables General Mills to maintain an immutable record of transactions, facilitating better inventory management and supplier coordination. This supports better operational resilience across its facilities.

8. Cargill

Revenue: $160bn (FY 2024)

Founded: 1865

CEO: Brian Sikes

Cargill is one of the world’s largest agricultural companies. It used blockchain to deliver end-to-end traceability in its turkey supply chain which, in turn, improves manufacturing processes by enhancing food safety and quality control. Through a pilot programme, consumers buying Honeysuckle White turkeys could scan a label to trace the origin of their product back to the family farm. This technology offers transparency into farming practices and enhances brand trust by offering verifiable proof of origin. By implementing blockchain, Cargill’s manufacturing processes benefit from rapid recall management, proactive risk mitigation, improved efficiency and optimised inventory management.

7. Mondelez International

Revenue: $36.0bn (FY 2024)

Founded: 2012

CEO: Dirk Van de Put

Globally renowned brands like Oreo, Cadbury and Triscuit benefit from parent company Mondelez International’s use of blockchain to improve cocoa supply chain transparency through its Cocoa Life programme. The company has used the technology across several programmes, including to improve ingredient traceability and to verify product life. Applying blockchain in this way means that Mondalez’s manufacturing operations benefit from enhanced raw material assurance and quality control, more robust and verified sustainable operations, and streamlined operations as a result of better inventory management and reduced waste. 

6. Unilever

Revenue: $65.9bn (FY 2024)

Founded: 1929

CEO: Fernando Fernandez 

Unilever uses SAP's GreenToken blockchain platform to monitor palm oil sourcing across its supply chain. This provides near real-time traceability, allowing the company to ensure that raw materials meet its no-deforestation commitments. While it doesn't use blockchain directly in its manufacturing processes, the data provided by the technology significantly improved the decision making and processes that feed into manufacturing. As an example, reassurance and transparency around raw material sourcing helps manufacturing sites meet sustainability goals and better anticipate potential quality issues. 

5. PepsiCo

Revenue: $91.5bn (FY 2024)

Founded: 1898

CEO: Ramon Laguarta

As a global leader in the food and beverage industry, PepsiCo is well versed in the use of innovative new technologies. The company has integrated blockchain in packaging sustainability pilots through partnerships like Security Matters, which ensures that the materials used in manufacturing new packaging align with sustainability goals. The technology helps trace and categorise plastic waste, supporting closed-loop recycling. This enhances accountability and reduces environmental impact across PepsiCo’s manufacturing operations. Blockchain also allows PepsiCo to verify the provenance and lifecycle of packaging materials, boosting transparency and circularity.

4. Danone

Revenue: $27.0bn (FY 2024)

Founded: 1919

CEO: Antoine de Saint-Affrique

Danone’s use of technology has cemented its position as one of the leading global food companies in dairy, plant-based products and specialised nutrition. The company has implemented blockchain in its 'Track & Connect' programme to bolster traceability in baby formula manufacturing and production. This allows consumers to scan packaging and access supply chain data, including production dates and quality checks. The system supports safety and confidence in Danone’s infant nutrition line, strengthening the visibility of critical manufacturing steps and supply chain partners.

3. Kellogg/Kellanova

Revenue: $15.3bn (FY 2024)

Founded: 1906

CEO: Steve Cahillane

Kellogg's leverages blockchain to enhance data management, drive sustainability and improve supply chain visibility – all of which significantly benefit and inform manufacturing operations. Working with partners like IBM, the company has piloted digital tracking for raw material sourcing, particularly for grains used in its manufacturing processes. Blockchain supports better traceability and sourcing transparency, helping to validate ethical and sustainable farming practices. This improves reporting and product claims verification at manufacturing sites.

2. Nestlé

Revenue: $102.0bn (FY 2024)

Founded: 1866

CEO: Laurent Freixe

Nestlé uses blockchain through the IBM Food Trust platform to trace food products from farm to factory – it was a founding member of the blockchain-powered network that has driven best practice across supply chains. The initiative improves transparency in ingredient sourcing, allowing detailed tracking of products like milk and palm oil. Consumers and auditors can verify the origin and movement of inputs, boosting supply chain efficiency and compliance at Nestlé’s manufacturing plants. For example, with blockchain, Nestlé's manufacturing plants can receive verified, immutable data about raw materials before they even arrive or as they are being processed.

1. The Kraft Heinz Company

Revenue: $26.0bn (FY 2024)

Founded: 2015 (merger of Kraft Foods and Heinz)

CEO: Carlos Abrams-Rivera

Kraft Heinz uses blockchain to improve transparency in its supply chain and manufacturing operations. The global food giant’s blockchain implementations have focused on real-time tracking of inventory and raw materials. This reduces waste, improves shelf-life management and enhances production forecasting. The technology supports operational agility and data accuracy in Kraft Heinz’s global manufacturing network. This foundational data integrity and visibility directly translates into improved manufacturing processes by ensuring the highest quality and safety of raw materials, enabling rapid and precise responses to any issues and streamlining compliance and auditing functions.

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