Can RFID Save the Day for Spinach?

By Leslie K. Downey

How, exactly, would RFID-enabled tracking take place? Can you start with, say, a tote of freshly picked spinach, and describe this?

Dean: First, the totes [containers similar to a commercial bread-baking tray] into which the spinach is picked need to be tagged. Some growers release already-tagged totes to the harvesting crew. Each tag carries a unique EPC. The grower has been told by the harvester which fields will be picked that day, and so can associate those tags with the harvester and fields. Another method would be to have readers right out in the fields. By reading a tote's tag in a given field, and associating the tag's EPC with the reader location, the grower will know the field in which the spinach was picked.

The shipper can find out the grower, harvester and field information associated with each tote received by performing an inquiry in the EPCIS. The latter is a collection of databases and protocols used by trading partners to learn about shipments. Only parties that have agreed in advance can see the data. For example, one grower cannot see shipment data pertaining to a competing grower.

Knowing the field and grower associated with each tote, the shipper must take care not to mix spinach from different fields. To accomplish this, the shipper must tag the end product—bags or cans—and any containers involved in processing with [unique] EPCs associated with the grower, harvester and field.

When the retailer or restaurant receives and reads the tagged bags or cans of spinach, they, too, can use EPCIS to retrieve information about the associated grower, harvester and field. If there's a recall involving a single grower, harvester or field, they know immediately which bags to pull off the shelf. Even better, if they know about a recall when they receive the product, they can altogether avoid putting it on the shelf. Consumer safety is maximized while preserving revenue for those growers not impacted by the recall.

The ability to conduct an efficient recall would have made a huge difference in September. However, since no one knows when the next E. coli outbreak will occur, it's hard to put a value on a technology that can deliver that efficient recall. So, how can RFID implementation be justified?

Dean: We need to focus on the ongoing benefits to producers and buyers. I already mentioned that RFID can substantially reduce spoilage, simply by informing shippers and their customers about the harvest dates associated with shipments. Product freshness can also be improved by combining temperature sensors with RFID.