Even in the U.S. an exhaustive track and trace system, which is available to all participants—including small producers and farms—and additional members in the supply chain, right up to the consumer, has been elusive. The FDA, in its recent proposed rule, "Requirements for Additional Traceability Records for Certain Foods," is a good starting point in defining what kind of data needs to be kept and where new data should originate, but it doesn't get to specifics in implementation.

Blockchain technology allows retailers, suppliers and anyone who has access to the software, to have real-time information on a product’s origination and the stops it made along the way before it reaches its destination. However, when it comes to olive oil, blockchain can be useful in determining provenance and delivery path, but not the purity or freshness of the product.

CAT Squared has become an onboarding partner for the IBM Food Trust, a blockchain-enabled global network of food chain participants that securely connects supply chain data across the ecosystem with trust and transparency.