MEDIA RELEASE
Amendment to Illinois BLOCKCHAIN TECHNOLOGY ACT
December 18, 2018
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
In light of numerous recent food recalls, the importance of being able to trace the source of food from farm or factory to table is crucial and blockchain technology is a logical way to support this traceability.
Issues impacting food safety are cross-contamination, the spread of food-borne illness, unnecessary waste and the economic burden of recalls. 48,000 Americans get ill every year due to contaminated food. The estimated annual cost of medical treatment, lost productivity and illness-related mortality is $55.5 billion.[1]
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According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), in 2016 839 food-borne disease outbreaks were reported, resulting in 14,259 illnesses, 875 hospitalizations, 17 deaths, and 18 food product recalls.[2]
It takes longer to identify the precise point of contamination when there is a lack of access to information, resulting in increased illness, lost revenue and wasted product.[3] The Blockchain Application Amendment will solve these problems by creating uniform food industry standards and policies in a transparent, trusted environment in which information will be readily available.[4]
1. ]http://fortune.com/food-contamination
2. https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/eid/article/17/1/p1-1101_article
3. ]http://www. 01.ibm.com/common/ssi/ShowDoc.wssdocURL=/common/ssi/rep_ca/9/649/ENUSA18-0609/index.html&lang=en&request_locale=en
4. http://fortune.com/food-contamination/
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FOR EDUCATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY.
Submitted for Legislative Advocacy at Chicago-Kent College of Law, Fall 2018.
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