*By Conor White*
Blockchain isn't just for cryptocurrency.
Computing behemoth IBM ($IBM) is using the technology to ensure the food we eat is safe and properly sourced.
"We're basically leveraging the blockchain technology to track each item of food as it travels through its trajectory and its transportation from the field all the way to the retailer," Bridget Karlin, chief technology officer for IBM Global Technology Services, told Cheddar's Hope King at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, Nev.
According to Karlin, blockchain is revolutionizing the way big-box retailers like Walmart ($WMT) do business.
"It used to take \[Walmart\] seven days to track an item from its origin all the way through to their shelves," Karlin said. "With blockchain, now it takes 2.2 seconds."
Walmart is working with IBM to implement blockchain as part of new food safety requirements for its suppliers. The two companies have been collaborating since 2016 to apply new levels of traceability across the food supply chain.
The partnership is part of The Food Trust blockchain, which includes other major forces like Nestlé (NSRGY), Dole ($DOLE), Kroger ($KR), and Tyson Foods (TSN).
In the future, a public health incident like the recent E.coli outbreak linked to contaminated romaine lettuce could be detected much more quickly and accurately.
"Now it's a matter of scaling that out more broadly to more participants," Karlin said.
Jurassic Park and Lego are partnering for a movie.
Visual effects workers at Disney voted to unionize.
Workers at Kaiser Permanente walked off the job, representing the largest healthcare strike in history. Michelle Castillo broke down what could happen next and what it could mean for patients.
Wednesday marks World Financial Planning Day. Rebecca Walser, president and founder of Walser Wealth Management, joined Cheddar News to discuss why financial planning is important, how it can be done and why it's best to start early.
Traveling can be expensive and if a situation arises, costs can add up. Nick Ewen, senior editor at The Points Guy, joined Cheddar News to explain what travel insurance can cover and when you should purchase it.
A prosecutor opened a criminal fraud trial Wednesday by telling jurors that FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried was on top of the world a year ago, hobnobbing with people like football star Tom Brady and ex-President Bill Clinton, before his historic fraud was exposed, leaving customers and investors without at least $10 billion they thought was secure.
Staying on top of your personal spending shouldn't be as complicated as you think. Lazetta Braxton, a certified financial planner, joined Cheddar News to provide tips on how to track that spending, such as grouping expenses into different categories.
Uber is adding a new task to its list of services: mailing consumers' return packages.
United Airlines said it's buying about 110 more planes from Boeing and Airbus.
Data shows auto sales rose in the third quarter.
