It's a modest test run at the moment. Walmart is only using blockchain to track both pork in China and a "packaged produced item" in the US. Provided the trial run goes smoothly, though, you'll see the tech used for more items.

Walmart isn't conducting this experiment purely out of concern for customer safety, as you might guess -- this is a company at once famous and notorious for its cost-cutting measures. Blockchain could keep more products on sale in the event of a bacterial outbreak, and refine the supply chain by identifying recurring safety issues or slowdowns. All told, the big-box store could save money even as it saves you from a trip to the hospital.