Kobe Beef authorized store, proven with NFC and blockchain, adopts SBI-affiliated service

SBI Traceability's SHIMENAWA blockchain service has been adopted by the Kobe Meat Distribution Promotion Council to certify authorized Kobe beef retailers. Participating stores receive bronze statues and point-of-sale displays fitted with NFC tags, with certification data recorded on-chain so consumers can verify authenticity by tapping a smartphone. The deployment extends blockchain traceability from supply-chain provenance to retail-level authentication for one of Japan's most premium beef brands. It matters as a test case for NFC-plus-blockchain consumer verification in high-value food retail, where counterfeiting and mislabeling carry significant brand risk. Next to watch is how many of the council's designated registered stores adopt the tagged materials and whether the model expands to other regional food brands.