Cadeia de suprimentos da carne bovina: análise da adoção e aplicabilidade do Blockchain pelos consumidores brasileiros

Abstract

The technological advance potentializes the improvement in traceability systems, moreover, the adoption of these systems is crucial for the supply chain management, being fundamental for the companies to seek new methods to guarantee the quality and safety of their products. Becoming increasingly critical in food products, blockchain a new technology, has been raising the interest of professionals in the areas of operations management and supply chain management as an immutable, transparent, and auditable technology as a means to solve problems in traditional business and supply chains. The theme presents an emphasis on the beef chain, since it plays an important role on the Brazilian table, from different economic classes and regions. In this scenario, this exploratory work brought the focus to the problem of food supply chains and aims to explore the understanding of Blockchain technology, in the beef chain, as a more translucent solution. The beef supply chain is of paramount importance for Brazil, given that it is a product of high economic prominence. Based on a mixed methodology, a questionnaire was applied to capture the consumers' knowledge and understanding of the theme, seeking to understand opportunities and challenges of applying the Blockchain system in Brazil. From the analysis of the results it was possible to observe that consumers distrust existing traceability systems and certifications, and consumers with higher salaries would pay more for knowing the provenance of the meat they consume, positive signaling for the implementation of the Blockchain system in Brazil. The results of this study are valuable to the academic community, the Brazilian population and industries, helping them to better understand the potential of a Blockchain traceability system in the context of the beef supply chain, given that the theme is still new in Brazil and its characteristics of reliability and transparency.