CHICAGO — Mondelez International, Inc. has set up a consumer-centric supply chain transparency pilot program, the company’s first of its kind in North America, for the Triscuit brand. The program allows consumers to follow the journey of winter wheat from a cooperative of farmers’ fields in the thumb of Michigan to where Triscuits are made.

“Consumers are demanding more transparency about their food and are keen to have access to information about where their food comes from and how it is grown,” said Jay Cooper, president of North America biscuits for Chicago-based Mondelez International. “This project is an important step forward in our journey to continue providing our stakeholders — and importantly our consumers — an accessible window into that process. We’re excited to test these capabilities with the Triscuit brand here in the US and look forward to expanding our transparency efforts.”

Consumers use their smartphones for an interactive web app experience by scanning the QR code on the front of Triscuit original 8.5-oz and original family-size boxes. After entering the product’s “best by” date found on packaging, they may view the location of more than 127 farmers in the Unity Gold Farmer Program and learn about the journey from the farms to the cooperative elevator, mill and bakery.  Through the web app, consumers also may find more information specific to their particular batch of product, including the wheat harvest year and the baked-on date.  The specially marked Triscuit boxes with the QR code will roll out over the next several weeks to US retail stores and will be available until the fall.

Mondelez already began a similar pilot project in France. Blockchain technology allows consumers of LU biscuits to trace the journey of Harmony wheat from the field to shelf. Mondelez International’s Harmony wheat sustainability program involves how wheat is grown and harvested across Europe. The transparency program in North America and the one in France both were created in partnership with Connecting Food, a supply chain transparency platform powered by blockchain that provides third-party traceability advisement and technology services.