Benefits of RFID and Food Traceability
Below is quotes from an article by Motorola regarding the enchanced food tracebility that is occuring with RFID. I hope you al enjoy. Please, note there is also a conference regarding this topic July 21st at Oklahoma State University http://fapc.biz/. So you may want to check that out as well.
The benefits of RFID in the food chain: RFID provides highly accurate data by automating data capture, improving the safety as well as the efficiency of the food chain.
Food safety benefits:
• Real-time visibility into product condition during temperature-sensitive transportation
• Reduced opportunity for spoilage, contamination and food borne illnesses
• Real-time track and trace for cost-effective and accurate creation of electronic pedigrees
• More narrow — and more successful — recalls from on-tag sourcing identification
Supply chain benefits:
• Increased productivity — workers no longer need to manually write information on paper forms
• Reduced shrinkage due to the increase in supply chain efficiency
• Cost-effective regulatory compliance through automated data capture
• Brand protection and liability reduction through a reduction in scope of spoilage and contamination incidents
Keeping food safe: a growing global challenge
Keeping food safe as it moves through the supply chain is a significant challenge. Perishables such as produce, meat, fish, milk and more can change hands ten to twenty times before reaching the consumer. This fact alone presents many opportunities along the supply chain for accidental or malicious mishandling that can lead to contamination or spoilage. And a host of new issues and trends, from the globalization of the supply chain to the type of foods that are imported, takes the challenge of protecting the safety of the food in the supply chain to new heights.
Increasing globalization of the food supply chain:
The growth in the globalization of the food supply chain also has a major impact on the ability to protect consumer health. According to the CDC, food imports to the United States have almost doubled in the past decade, from $36 billion in 1997 to more than $70 billion in 2007. demand for year-round access to out-of-season and exotic produce, 60 percent of all fresh fruits and vegetables are now imported from over 150 countries all over the world, New Zealand, apples from Canada, strawberries from Mexico and grapes from Chili. Additionally, the type of food imported is changing.
In the past, imported products were primarily food ingredients that were then processed into various types of food inside the U.S. borders. Since the actual processing took place in the U.S., FDA regulations provided maximum protection for consumer health. But today, many food items that are imported are ‘ready-to-eat’, from fruits and vegetables to seafood, further increasing the opportunity for food borne illness to enter the food supply chain. For example, in 1980 less than half of the total seafood consumed was imported— today that number has increased to over 75 percent.
In Food Marketing Institute’s U.S. Grocery Shopper Trends, 2007 report, consumers that are
‘completely confident’ or ‘somewhat confident’ in the safety of food on supermarket shelves
You can find the rest of the article at this link:
