When using a blockchain approach, products are mapped on a batch-by-batch basis to log and verify the points at which a product or raw material changes hands. Supplier details are still recorded for each transaction, but the data is focused more on the movement on individual batches as opposed to managing the supplier base.
Taking meat production as an example, each data point associated with a batch of animals, from the number of pigs born on a particular date up to the final amount of a finished charcuterie product being delivered, would be entered into a thread or ‘chain’ of transactions that are logged on a centralised system.
Once entered, these data points cannot be edited, thus producing a tamper-proof record that is commonly referred to as an ‘incorruptible digital ledger’ that can be used to trace a product back to source.