How can blockchain technology promote food safety in agricultural market?-an evolutionary game analysis

Environ Sci Pollut Res Int. 2023 Aug;30(40):93179-93198. doi: 10.1007/s11356-023-28780-7. Epub 2023 Jul 28.

Abstract

The governance of agricultural food safety issues is closely linked to social interests. To promote food safety supervision in the Chinese agricultural markets under the background of blockchain application, this paper develops a partnership comprising vendors, consumers, and the government. Using the theory of evolutionary game combined with the actual situation of China, the evolutionary process simulations of three participants prove that the tripartite subjects can realize a stable state under the specific relationship. Impact investigation results of typical influential factors indicate the following: (1) The behavior of vendors depends on the government's supervision and consumers' reporting attitude. Limiting the penalty amount for vendors to 66.7% of speculative gains can shorten the processing time for vendors to comply with the law. (2) Consumers play a vital role in food safety supervision of the agricultural market. The penalty for consumers should be limited to 1/3 of the reward amount. (3) The government's incentive-oriented and punishment-inhibited policies can promote blockchain technology in supervision. Punishment-inhibited and key influencing parameters can cooperate in obtaining the maximum regulatory benefits. The results of this study have certain reference values for promoting policy formulation and implementing blockchain technology in agricultural food safety supervision.

Keywords: Agricultural food safety; Agricultural market; Blockchain; Evolutionary game theory; Food supply chain.

MeSH terms

  • Agriculture
  • Blockchain*
  • China
  • Food
  • Food Safety
  • Humans
  • Technology