An Exploratory Study on the Design and Management Model of Traditional Chinese Medicine Quality Safety Traceability System Based on Blockchain Technology

Abstract

Aiming at the problems of long life cycle complex roles of participants, diverse risk factors, poor supervision coverage and difficult information traceability of TCM (Traditional Chinese Medicine) supply chain, this paper constructs a TCM quality safety traceability system based on blockchain technology by analyzing the business process and supervision characteristics of TCM supply chain. Blockchain technology is a new application mode of computer technology such as distributed data storage, peer-to-peer transmission, consensus mechanism, encryption algorithm, and other computer technologies. It has the characteristics of “decentralization, nontampering, transparent and open, and data traceability.” The function of nontampering, hash function, and time stamp can effectively solve the traceability problem of TCM supply chain. Through the analysis of the blockchain TCM traceability principle and network structure, combined with the actual business process of TCM traceability, this paper designs the blockchain TCM quality safety traceability system, analyzes its overall structure, data storage mode, digital signature, consensus algorithm, and main functions, and preliminarily constructs a new model of TCM quality safety traceability management based on blockchain technology. Using blockchain technology to realize the quality safety traceability of TCM, we can complete the omnidirectional, multiangle, and wide coverage of the data and information in whole supply chain of TCM breeding and seedling raising, planting, innovation and research and development, processing of TCM pieces, circulation of TCM, and consumption, so as to realize that the main body of responsibility of TCM can be put on record, the production records can be queried, product flow can be traced, quality safety can be forewarned, main responsibility can be identified, regulatory information can be shared, and product source can be traced.