Is There an RFID System That Could Help Vendors or Suppliers Identify Produce Before It Expires?

Where could I find a solution to alert our company to approaching expiration dates?

—Carlos

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Carlos,

There is not currently a system on the market that would alert you when produce was reaching its expiration date, but there are temperature sensors and temperature loggers that will record the temperature of produce in transit and on shelves. I discussed five battery-assisted passive ultrahigh-frequency (UHF) temperature sensors in an Ask the Experts post in October 2014 (see Can BAP Tags Report Product Storage Temperatures?), for example. Other temperature data-logger suppliers include:

• TempTrip (see TempTrip Announces RFID-enabled Temperature Tag for Food, Pharmaceutical Cold Chains)
• Blulog (see Blulog Launches NFC Temperature Datalogger, Service)
• TAGSensors (see McDonald's, Other Companies Test TAG Sensors' RFID Temperature Loggers)
• Identiv (see Identiv Offers NFC RFID Temperature-Tracking Solution)

We've also written about wireless temperature sensors, such as those offered by Point Six (see Five Guys Uses Sensors to Keep Things Fresh) and Monnit (see Wireless Sensors Help Ye Ol' Geezer Stay Cool).

You could also develop a software solution that would allow you to enter the expiration date of any tagged batch of produce. The system would then alert employees if they read a tag on a batch about to expire.

See also: Complying With the Food Safety Modernization Act.

—Mark Roberti, Founder and Editor, RFID Journal