SupplySide West podcast: Using blockchain to drive positive change from farm to brand

What technology solutions are offering brands and farmers to support regenerative agriculture

Heather Granato, VP, Partnerships & Sustainability

September 19, 2018

The supply chain is becoming more connected and technology is driving transparency into the sourcing process. New solutions around blockchain are among those that can connect brands with their primary suppliers—even back to the farm—to create tangible, verifiable impacts. In the lead-in to SupplySide West, Heather Granato, vice president of content, spoke with Christian Shearer, co-founder of Regen Network and partner at Terra Genesis, about blockchain technology and its potential in transforming supply chains.

Key points of this podcast include:

• How Regen Network is helping companies become active participants in addressing climate change and global warming by championing regenerative agriculture.

• What steps brands can take to impact the supply chain through the use of blockchain to measure, track and reward specific outcomes from farmers.

• Issues around data privacy and intellectual property protection—and what organizations like Regen Network are doing to ensure users retain ownership of their data.

Links and Resources:

• Todd Runestad, senior editor of INSIDER, talks with Thom King, CEO of Icon Foods, about the future of traceability and transparency—and the solution that blockchain provides.

• Interested in hearing more on this topic? Join Christian Shearer and other experts in the session “How Blockchain & Related Technology Is Transforming the Supply Chain” at SupplySide West on Wednesday, Nov. 7, from 1:30 to 4:30 p.m.

About the Author

Heather Granato

VP, Partnerships & Sustainability, Informa Markets, Food EMEA division

Heather Granato is a 30-year veteran of the natural products industry, currently serving as vice president, partnerships & sustainability, in the Food EMEA division of Informa Markets. She is based in London, and leads efforts related to industry partnerships and broader sustainability initiatives for the Vitafoods and Food ingredients brands. She has been a presenter at events including SupplySide, Vitafoods, Food ingredients, Natural Products Expo, the Natural Gourmet Show and the Folio: Show. Her publishing experience includes Natural Products Insider, Food Product Design, Vitafoods Insights, Country Living's Healthy Living, Natural Foods Merchandiser, Delicious Magazine and WomenOf.com. Granato serves as the founding president of Women In Nutraceuticals, a global non-profit founded in 2022 focused on empowering women in the nutraceutical industry; she is also on the board of directors for the Organic & Natural Health Association. From 2016 to 2022, she was a vice president on the national governing board of Kappa Alpha Theta women’s fraternity. Granato was named to the FOLIO: 100 list of top media professionals in 2018, and was selected as a 2015 Top Woman in Media by FOLIO:. She received the 2014 Visionary Award and the 2018 Journalistic Excellence Award from the American Herbal Products Association (AHPA); and was honored with the CEO Merit Award for Content from Virgo in 2014. Granato graduated magna cum laude from the University of Richmond, Virginia, in 1992 with a bachelor’s degree in journalism.

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