H.R. 4199 — To amend the Agricultural Research, Extension, and Education Reform Act of 1998 to establish and carry out a pilot program to use blockchain technology in food safety and labeling.

This bill directs the National Institute of Food and Agriculture to establish and carry out a pilot program to use blockchain technology in food safety and food labeling. (In general, a blockchain is a digital database containing information that can be simultaneously used and shared within a large decentralized, publicly accessible network.) Specifically, the pilot program must, to the extent practicable, use blockchain technology to (1) trace food that may be adulterated and food that has been subject to a voluntary or mandatory recall; and (2) verify that food labeled as organic has been produced and handled in accordance with specific organic certification standards. The Department of...