Open Food Chain Uses Cardano for Food Claims Under New EU Rules

Open Food Chain and the Cardano Foundation will convene food industry practitioners on October 15 to discuss which sustainability evidence can withstand regulatory scrutiny. The closed online session follows the September 27 start of the EU’s Empowering Consumers for the Green Transition rules, known as EmpCo. Open Food Chain uses Cardano to anchor certificates and validated supply chain claims, connecting them to product passports shoppers can open through QR codes.

EU Green Claims Rules and the Limits of QR Codes

Directive (EU) 2024/825 strengthens consumer protection across sectors. It prohibits generic environmental claims such as “green” or “eco” when the trader cannot demonstrate recognized excellent environmental performance relevant to the claim. It also bans sustainability labels lacking a qualifying certification scheme or public authority backing, and claims of a neutral, reduced or positive greenhouse gas impact based on emissions offsetting.

Under the directive, specifying a claim clearly and prominently on the same medium can make it specific rather than generic. The Commission’s September 22 guidance says that explanation should appear next to, or as part of, the claim. A QR code linking to evidence cannot by itself replace a required explanation on the packaging.

For claims about future environmental performance, however, a QR code may provide access to the implementation plan and the independent expert’s findings. Existing stock is covered by the rules, while terms used lawfully under EU organic production legislation remain permitted. EmpCo is separate from the proposed Green Claims Directive, which has not been adopted.

How Open Food Chain Anchors Food Evidence on Cardano

Open Food Chain is an Amsterdam-based food traceability platform. Its digital product passports link each product and batch to certificates, supplier evidence and origin records, allowing shoppers to follow the supply chain back to participating farms.

In its September 30 case study, the Cardano Foundation described certificates and validated claims, including deforestation-free sourcing, being anchored on Cardano and connected to a “view on blockchain” option. The passports bring supporting documentation into the same product experience as the claims on the packaging.

The platform identifies each claim’s scope, review status and responsible organization. Evidence may be declared by the customer, based on a certificate or reviewed by a third party. Open Food Chain states that a passport does not make a claim legal by itself; responsibility remains with the brand.

Brands and shoppers do not need to buy or hold ADA. Network transaction fees are paid in ADA behind the interface.

October 15 Roundtable on Food Sustainability Evidence

Marieke de Ruyter de Wildt, Open Food Chain’s founder and CEO, will lead the session titled “From Claim to Proof: What is Possible in Practice.” It runs from 14:00 to 15:00 UTC, equivalent to 10:00 to 11:00 a.m. ET. Participation is by invitation only under the Chatham House Rule.

The event forms part of a research program with Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Kraft Heinz and Interfood, co-funded through TKI Agri & Food. It builds on the Foundation’s earlier case study of the platform, covered by Cardano News on October 4.

Participants will examine which evidence holds up when requested by a regulator, what can already be verified between farms, auditors and brands, and how proof can be validated once and reused.

Findings will go to participants first. The discussion centers on connecting certificates and supplier records to the precise product claims they support, so the same evidence can be inspected across the supply chain.