ANA joins Blue Number Initiative to build transparent food supply chain platform in Japan

Jan 16, 2017: ANA HOLDINGS (ANA HD) has become the first Japanese company to take part in the Blue Number initiative which aims to build ethical food supply chains.

As interest around the world grows in food safety and traceability, environmental protection and respect for human rights during food production processes, ANA HD will work together with the Blue Number Foundation to build a transparent food supply chain platform in Japan.

The Blue Number acts as a unique identifier for use by anyone involved in the food chain from farmers, producers, distributors and vendors to consumers. Producers can use their blue number to allow the end consumer access to information about their products including contents, nature of the product and region of origin. This ensures that the supply chain linking producers and consumers becomes visible, creating traceability and transparency.

ANA HD aspires to use this platform to further strengthen the management of its supply chain for all food related services including in-flight meals enabling it to continue providing passengers with safe, reliable food products. These activities will also form part of ANA HD's contribution to the achievement of the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals.

Blue Number Foundation, headquartered in New York is a nonprofit organisation that engages in projects around the world and manages registration information from an independent, neutral standpoint. The foundation aims to allow all parties to disseminate information about their activities and raise public awareness of their role through the Blue Number, facilitating the meaningful and effective usage of registered data.