VeChain, Together with ASI Group and DNV GL, Announced the First Cross-continental Logistics And Trades Solution Based on Public Blockchain for Food & Beverage Industry On The 2nd CIIE VeChain Foundation Follow Nov 7, 2019 · 6 min read

November 7th, Shanghai, China — VeChain, the leading enterprise-friendly public blockchain platform, attended The China International Import Expo 2019 (CIIE). Held from November 5 to November 10, 2019, the CIIE 2019 is a major initiative of the Chinese government to give firm support to trade liberalization and economic globalization and actively open the Chinese market to the world. The event has attracted more than 3,000 companies from over 150 countries and regions, including 250 of the Fortune 500 companies such as Qualcomm, Panasonic, LVMH, Samsung, and Bombardier.

In the first CIIE, VeChain showcased various blockchain solutions to potential enterprise customers and government officials. This year, together with its strategic partner DNV GL, VeChain announced a tripartite collaboration with ASI Group to initiate the first cross-continental logistics and trades solution powered by the VeChainThor public blockchain for food & beverage industry named Foodgates. It is the first of its kind solution as it is powered by a public blockchain with verified and certified information of the full lifecycle of the products being tracked, such as from cow selection, slaughtering, packing, cross-continental shipping all the way to restaurants for beef products. The announcement was made on November 7, during the press conference organized by the France China Committee, which belongs to the Mouvement des Entreprises de France (MEDEF), the leading network of entrepreneurs in France with more than 750,000 member firms.

Two days before the press conference, on November 5, 2019, French President Emmanuel Macron attended the opening ceremony of CIIE and discussed various ways to push pragmatic cooperation with his Chinese counterpart, President Xi Jinping on this 55th anniversary of China-France diplomatic relations. Meanwhile, Chinese President Xi Jinping and the Chinese delegation had a tasting session of the Limousin Label Rouge Beef from Limousin Promotion introduced by President Macron. This meat has been imported thanks to the first cross-continental logistics and trades solution Foodgates, based on VeChainThor public blockchain jointly developed by ASI Group, VeChain and DNV GL. This event is especially significant after President Xi had recently embraced blockchain technology and urged its development on a national level in China. VeChain, being a global blockchain technology platform provider with significant resources in China and Europe will be a direct beneficiary of this bullish shift by the second largest economy in the world.

Image source: Xinhua (Chinese State Media) Chinese President Xi Jinping and French President Emmanuel Macron in conversation after enjoying Limousin Label Rouge Beef tracked using Foodgates.

According to France 24, China is currently the 7th largest trading partner of France, having imported French goods accounted for $24.5 billion in 2018. The bilateral trade volume between China and France surpassed 60 billion U.S. dollars, hitting a record high last year and will continue to increase. The Chinese state-owned media Xinhua also highlighted multiple categories of France’s exports that are seeing fast growth, which includes agricultural products.

ASI Group is specialized in logistics, supply chain, import solutions and global trade, providing value-added applications, built-to-suit solutions and covering 180 countries. Now, ASI Group joins hands with VeChain and DNV GL to combine their current business with blockchain technology and third party assurance to develop the new Foodgates platform. Foodgates aims to provide a world premium, trusted blockchain-powered platform for international buyers and consumers of high-end food & beverage products, safeguarding product quality and safety. On Nov 6, Foodgates — B2B F&B digital platform linking French producers and Chinese professional buyers — entered into a MoU with the Henan Pilot Free Trade Zone to kick off the collaboration to import food products from France to the FTZ.

Mathieu Borgé speaking on the conference

Mathieu Borgé, Co-founder of Foodgates, quoted French president Macron, stating that:“French savors pair well with Chinese taste,’’ adding “We developed a solution which connects the best of French products to Chinese buyers. We know that traceability and authenticity are essential when it comes to Food & Beverage products. Our blockchain-powered platform is aimed at bringing transparency and traceability to the French-Chinese B2B market, while enabling French producers to access the great Chinese market faster and safer.”

Blockchain expertises and development team from VeChain provided comprehensive technical support, from underlying public blockchain protocol, smart contracts, the VeChain ToolChain APIs for docking to the consulting services for business systems. This business-need-oriented yet agile approach gives VeChain huge competitive advantages in the enterprise blockchain space. DNV GL will assure that the scaled trade platform’s rules are defined for all producers and their products, ensuring that transparent and consistent data are logged onto the VeChainThor public blockchain.

“VeChain is committed to adopting blockchain technology to power the real economy, and it has been a privilege to jointly develop this cross-continental logistics and trades solution with ASI Group and DNV GL. The immutability of public blockchain coupled with verifiable information makes this solution really unique and provides an additional level of trust for the consumers. We see the massive potential of this collaboration, as the products are reaching out to an enormous food market in China.” said Kevin Feng, the COO at VeChain.

Powered by VeChain ToolChain, Foodgates empowers a wide variety of products, including renowned labels including The Concours Général Agricole Paris (CGA), Cochon Paysan, Blason Prestige, Qualité Limousine, and Label Rouge. Ranging from Label Rouge Limousin beef and pork to Boisset wine from Burgundy, the solution enables Chinese buyers to purchase excellent French products with total and transparent assurance about the origin, quality, safety and end-to-end traceability. In addition, French producers could have a direct and efficient access to the Chinese market, which creates a trustworthy bridge between both ends.

Following the announcement during the CIIE press conference, a gourmet dinner will be co-hosted by ASI Group, VeChain and DNV GL to provide first hand experience of the blockchain powered trusted platform for food. Over 50 distinguished guests have been invited, including government officials, journalists from both French and Chinese news outlets, and executives from industries across retail, supermarkets, meat producers, hotels, and all of them will be served with beef and pork imported from France on the Foodgates platform.

On October 24, 2019, Chinese President Xi Jinping underscored the importance of blockchain in technological innovation and industrial transformation. The adoption of VeChain blockchain technology is facing unprecedented market opportunities, which greatly cemented this blockchain-powered partnership.

VeChain will stick to our vision, which has always been powering and creating business value to the real economy. With the market maturing and evolving and interest towards blockchain adoption at an all time high, there will be even more use cases developed on the VeChainThor public blockchain in the near future.

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About ASI Group

ASI Group is specialized in Logistics, Global Trade, Supply Chain and Import solutions. The company support businesses at every step of their growth and Supply Chain international development. With a set of different companies in Logistics and Freight Forwarding, Global Trade and Supply, has been business facilitators between Europe in China, acquiring a strong expertise and network in both the European and Asian continents over the years, working with big1 retailers such as Auchan, Carrefour, BYD, Metro, etc.

About DNV GL

DNV GL is a leading provider of risk management and quality assurance services. The company is also a global leader in certifying management systems of companies across all types of industries, including F&B. Since 1864, its purpose has been to safeguard life, property and the environment. Passionate about safety, quality and integrity, companies turn to DNV GL to make complex decisions with confidence. DNV GL helps them manage their most critical risks and demonstrate compliance with regulations and standards.

About VeChain

Launched in 2015, VeChain aims to connect blockchain technology to the real world by providing a comprehensive governance structure, a robust economic model, and IoT integration. VeChain is the pioneer of real-world applications using public blockchain technology, with international operations in Singapore, Luxembourg, Tokyo, Shanghai, Paris, Hong Kong, and San Francisco. Together with our strategic partners PwC and DNV GL, we have established cooperative relations with many leading enterprises in different industries, including Walmart China, BMW, BYD Auto, Haier, Bright Food, D.I.G, DB Schenker, PICC, etc.

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