By leveraging blockchain, companies can enhance food safety, reduce recalls, prevent fraud, and build trust with consumers. In this article, we explore how blockchain is revolutionizing the food industry, ensuring that what’s on your plate is exactly what it claims to be. Chef Damien Taylor, an executive chef with over 25 years of experience understands that the future of food isn’t just about flavors—it’s about trust, transparency, and technology. Damien spent the last decade at Hutten, a leading farm-to-table business caterer, and he is a vocal advocate for food traceability and blockchain integration, ensuring that every ingredient tells a verifiable story.

As the co-founder of ChefChain, he’s at the forefront of leveraging Web3 technology to enhance transparency in the food supply chain. In this exclusive interview with Supertrends, Damien shares his insights on how blockchain is shaping the culinary world, why traceability matters, and what the future holds for food authenticity.

Supertrends: What inspired you to establish ChefChain, and how do you envision blockchain technology transforming the food industry?

Damien Taylor: The need for greater transparency in the food system. There’s too much greenwashing and false claims, and as a chef, I’ve seen this firsthand. The problem is only getting worse as the food supply chain becomes more complex. Blockchain provides a solution by offering verifiable data and holding producers accountable for their claims.

Supertrends: Could you explain how ChefChain utilizes blockchain to enhance transparency from farm to table?

Damien Taylor: ChefChain decentralizes food data, giving farmers full responsibility for the information attached to their ingredients and products. This data is then passed directly from the farmer to the chef/caterer and ultimately to the customer. We’ve built an information and transparency management system on the blockchain to ensure that every claim is backed by verifiable data. For example, if a farmer claims their carrots are organic, they are accountable for that claim. The chef or caterer can review the verified data before selecting the product for the menu. This creates a clear chain of trust:

• The farmer owns their data
• The chef owns their recipe
• The customer benefits from full transparency

By making this data accessible and tamper-proof, ChefChain ensures that food claims are more than just marketing—they are proven facts.

Supertrends: For food producers and suppliers, what are the key business benefits of using ChefChain? How does it impact their bottom line?

Damien Taylor: One of the biggest advantages is protection and verification. Take Halal or Kosher meat, for example. These claims are critical, yet suppliers often trust the process without a way to independently verify authenticity. With blockchain, every step can be documented and traced, including certifications, slaughter details, and even animal welfare practices. By attaching QR codes to products, consumers can instantly verify key details, such as who certified the meat, where the animal was raised, and how it was processed. This builds trust and ensures compliance with dietary and ethical standards. For caterers, transparency is a competitive advantage. One of our partners recently won a major government contract because they could prove the origin and impact of the food they serve—a key requirement for Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) compliance. In many cases, businesses can command a price premium by offering verified, traceable food products.

Supertrends: Can you discuss the importance of democratizing food data and how ChefChain contributes to this goal?

Damien Taylor: Food transparency should be a right, not a privilege. Every claim about food should be clearly documented and easily verifiable, with accountability placed on the right parties. ChefChain helps democratize food data by:

• Making claims traceable (Who is responsible for what?)
• Ensuring information is easy to access and understand (No hidden data)
• Creating a direct feedback loop between consumers and farmers (Building trust and connection)

By empowering both producers and consumers, blockchain has the potential to redefine food trust and sustainability for the future.

Supertrends: The Blockchain Beer is highlighted as a success story. Can you share more about this initiative and its significance? How did it help the Zeevonkje brand?

Damien Taylor: Both the burger and beer projects were experiments to test public engagement with food traceability. With the burger, we traced every ingredient as far back as possible—from the flour’s origin, the seeds it came from, and where it was milled to the beef’s grazing location and slaughter details. We then presented this information to the public, while a research team from Aeres University of Applied Sciences conducted a study (soon to be published) on what transparency factors mattered most to consumers—environmental impact, social responsibility, or product origin. The beer focused on festival sustainability. We tracked a high-volume product (beer) and provided data on its origin, ingredients, CO₂ footprint, and responsible packaging. We then compared it to a mainstream beer, such as Heineken. The Blockchain Beer stood out—it sold in high volumes and resonated with festivalgoers. As a result, three festivals have since committed to stocking local beers with full transparency alongside mainstream brands. This is a bold move because major brewers often pay sponsorship fees upfront to secure festival deals. For festivals to prioritize transparency over sponsorship money is a major step forward in challenging the status quo.

Supertrends: What are the biggest obstacles you’ve encountered in convincing food industry stakeholders to adopt blockchain technology?

Damien Taylor: So far, we’ve been fortunate—we actually have more demand than we can onboard at the moment. Our biggest challenge has been scalability. Until now, every onboarding process has been done manually, which is extremely time-consuming. Last year, we took a step back and spent six months automating the process — starting with farmers.To make onboarding seamless, we integrated GlobalG.A.P. APIs, allowing farmers to auto-fill forms with existing data just by entering a single number. We also leveraged AI tools to help them retrieve missing details, such as land coordinates—they simply press a button, and AI suggests relevant data based on what they’ve already provided. Any AI-generated data is clearly marked as such to ensure transparency. Interestingly, once we onboarded a few major caterers, farmers actively wanted to join because they saw the benefits. Caterers, in turn, no longer had to spend time collecting data — it was already there. We’ve essentially created a social network of transparency within ChefChain, where trust is rewarded and reinforced.

Supertrends: What technical or logistical challenges have you faced in integrating blockchain into existing food supply chains?

Damien Taylor: The biggest challenge was onboarding, as I mentioned earlier. But with our new automation tools, we’ve overcome most of that hurdle.

Supertrends: In a 2023 interview, you mentioned that convincing people to scan QR codes proved difficult. Did you make progress on this front? If so, how?

Damien Taylor: QR codes remind people of COVID-19 and lockdowns, which initially made them reluctant to scan.To fix this, we redesigned them—turning them into colorful, inviting icons rather than standard black-and-white codes. This simple change nearly doubled the scan rate.

Supertrends: Are there regulatory or legal hurdles that slow down adoption? How is ChefChain addressing them?

Damien Taylor: No major regulatory issues. Since the data is owned by the person who creates the block or claim, there’s very little legal risk — as long as the information is truthful or provided to the best of their knowledge. Think of ChefChain like a decentralized version of Pinterest—we provide a platform that connects people through verified data, but unlike Pinterest, none of the data can be deleted. This ensures complete transparency and accountability while keeping legal risks minimal.

Supertrends: What feedback have you received from chefs and consumers regarding the transparency and traceability features offered by ChefChain?

Damien Taylor: The response has been overwhelmingly positive. One key lesson we’ve learned is to keep explanations simple — avoiding technical jargon unless specifically asked. We often use examples like the blockchain burger and beer to illustrate the concept. Now that a major catering company has adopted our system, more industry professionals are seeing its impact firsthand. This has allowed us to refine the features that matter most to chefs and consumers.

Supertrends: Have you faced skepticism from chefs, farmers, or suppliers regarding the reliability or necessity of blockchain in food traceability?

Damien Taylor: Yes and no. Farmers who produce high-quality products appreciate the transparency and the recognition they receive for their efforts. One farmer, for example, secured a major catering contract simply because his data was easily accessible on the blockchain, showcasing his commitment to regenerative farming. Chefs are also enthusiastic. As a chef myself, I know that working with top-quality ingredients makes all the difference. Ultimately, both chefs and consumers benefit the most from this system. Suppliers, however, have mixed feelings. Some are cautious because their traditional business model thrives on opacity—they prefer to control margins and keep chefs and farmers disconnected. But more forward-thinking suppliers, particularly in industries like fresh produce and coffee, see blockchain as an opportunity rather than a threat. As more caterers start using the system and presenting transparent data to customers, I believe resistance will gradually fade.

Supertrends: What strategies have been most effective in increasing adoption among restaurants, food producers, and suppliers?

Damien Taylor: So far, we’ve focused on large-scale caterers rather than restaurants, although we have two restaurants waiting to join.By aligning the data farmers and producers need to provide with Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) requirements, we’ve made compliance much easier for corporate responsibility departments. Seeing real-time, decentralized data has been a game-changer for them. And caterers, beyond setting up the initial process, don’t have to do much—they simply benefit from having verified data at their fingertips. Because our caterers generate over €500 million in revenue, major food producers are now eager to list their products on ChefChain. The volume alone makes it an attractive proposition.

Supertrends: Are there any particular sectors within the food industry (restaurants, catering, large-scale food production) that have been more open to adopting ChefChain? Why?

Damien Taylor: Coffee, wine, and beer are growing areas, mainly because of the high volume of these products. One of our partners operates two major football stadiums, and sports brands are increasingly focused on environmental impact. When you start measuring sustainability, you naturally look at high-volume items to maximize positive change.

Supertrends: Do you think the food industry is ready for blockchain at scale, or is adoption still in its early stages?

Damien Taylor: Some sectors are ready. Others—not so much. Transparency doesn’t work for everyone.

Festivals: The European Roadmap to a Greener Festival, led by Claire O’Neil, sets 2030 sustainability targets that festivals must meet to continue operating. Many major festivals—like Glastonbury, Reading & Leeds, and Tomorrowland—face cancellation if they don’t comply. Food is the biggest CO₂ contributor at festivals, so blockchain-backed transparency could help meet these targets.

Stadiums and Venues: Similar to festivals, sports venues are under growing pressure to reduce their environmental impact.

Hotels and Restaurants: This will take time. The restaurant industry is saturated, but initiatives like the Green Michelin Star are pushing sustainability forward. Eventually, non-Michelin, high-end restaurants will follow. ChefChain’s network of farmers could help restaurants bridge this gap.

Fast Food: This is where I see massive potential. Fast-food licensing is becoming more restrictive, making short food supply chains and local sourcing a strong competitive advantage. Fast casual dining is also booming, and younger consumers (aged 16–30) are far more interested in food origin and sustainability than older generations.

Food Producers: The market is crowded, whether it’s coffee or olive oil, so having a compelling story and process is crucial. A QR code linking to a blockchain-backed traceability record can help brands stand out on store shelves.

Supertrends: Looking ahead, how do you see blockchain influencing future trends in the food industry, and what role will ChefChain play in this evolution?

Damien Taylor: The future belongs to brands and products with a story—ones that showcase their origin, impact, social values, and sustainability efforts. These will be the brands consumers celebrate. ChefChain provides the platform to make that happen.

Supertrends: What lessons have you learned from working with early adopters, and how has that shaped ChefChain’s approach?

Damien Taylor: Initially, we believed a standardized data set was the best approach. But through experience, we’ve realized that every product is unique, and the claims around each product vary significantly.For example, when it comes to coffee, people want to know:

• Origin (farm address, country of production)
• Worker conditions (wages, certifications)
• Processing methods (roasting style, transport)
• Environmental impact (CO₂ emissions, water use)
• Social responsibility (fair trade pricing, ethical labor practices)

For carrots, however, the relevant data is much simpler:

• Farm address
• Soil type
• Organic certification
• Harvesting dates

We’ve adapted ChefChain to accommodate this diversity—allowing brands and producers to highlight what matters most for their specific product.

Editor’s Takeaways

ChefChain is proving that transparency, sustainability, and traceability are not just buzzwords—they're shaping the future of the food industry. Through real-world applications like blockchain beer and burgers, the platform is demonstrating how data-driven insights can build trust between farmers, chefs, and consumers. A key takeaway from our conversation with Damien Taylor is that adoption thrives when technology is made accessible.

By simplifying onboarding for farmers and aligning data collection with corporate sustainability goals, ChefChain is successfully bridging the gap between producers, suppliers, and large-scale caterers. The industry’s openness to blockchain varies—sectors like coffee, beer, wine, and stadium catering are embracing it, while others, like fast food, show massive potential. What’s clear is that consumers, especially younger generations, increasingly care about where their food comes from. ChefChain’s ability to connect transparency with purchasing power could drive a major shift in how food is sourced and valued.

As sustainability regulations tighten and businesses look for credible ways to measure and showcase their impact, blockchain-powered traceability may become a competitive advantage rather than a choice. ChefChain is positioning itself at the forefront of this movement, helping to shape a more transparent, ethical, and sustainable food system for the future.