May 21, 2020 Allison Lamberth

The pandemic has made food security an ever-expanding global concern. In the latest episode of the Disruption Decade podcast, Paul Barron sits down with Sarah Browner, a food and nutrition analyst for management consultancy FutureBridge, to discuss artificial intelligence, blockchain usage, and how 5G may help improve the food supply chain.

Called “the fourth manufacturing revolution” or “industry 4.0,” artificial intelligence has become a critical investment target for many companies. “AI is found across the entire supply chain, from agriculture to manufacturing to the shop floor,” says Browner. “It’s really taking the guesswork out of farming to increase plant yield and keep it more consistent.”

Artificial intelligence is increasingly being used in all aspects of farming—weather data, advanced image recognition, and even soil sensors for identifying nutrient levels.

“The soil’s nutrient levels have an impact on the nutrient levels in our actual food,” adds Browner. “Artificial intelligence is having a major impact on building a more sustainable future of food and really rethinking how we’re growing our food for the better.”

MasterCard is working to do just that. In a new partnership with Envisible, the company plans to create a supply chain blockchain that will provide producers and consumers with information about the inner workings of the food system and the origins of food products.

“The main thing that blockchain is bringing to the food and beverage industry is food transparency,” says Browner. “It creates a network and connectivity across the supply chain and really brings back to life the farm to fork kind of system that consumers demand today.”