IBM has
developed radio frequency identification (RFID) tracking technology
to track chickens from farms to supermarket shelves. The supplier
is working with a Norwegian food producer
Nortura to build a
proof of concept item-level tagging application for the food
industry.
RFID has been used successfully to track animal movements, such
as the movement of cattle during the BSE outbreak, and to protect
high-value items such as whisky and clothing, But it is unusual to
find examples of item-level RFID tagging in food production,
according to Stefan Pique, European director at
GS1, the supply chain data
standards body.
IBM worked with Matiq, the IT
subsidiary of Nortura, to use RFID to track and trace poultry and
meat products. Product packaging will be tagged with RFID chips to
help ensure that products are kept in optimal conditions throughout
the supply chain, Matiq said.
The system at Matiq will be based on IBM's WebSphere RFID
Information Center, a system for tracking RFID tags in the supply
chain, which uses the GS1 EPCglobal's Electronic Product Code
Information Services (EPCIS) standard. To access the supply chain
information, Norwegian food suppliers and supermarkets will also
need to run software that supports EPCIS.
Matiq has also researched how to provide shoppers with more
information on the meat they purchase. Are Berquist, chief
executive officer of Matiq, said, "We have looked at providing
trace information on lamb, which provides data such as where the
sheep has lived and the type of food it has eaten." The information
is used to show the quality of the meat. To access this
information, shoppers use the camera built into their mobile phone
to scan the barcode on the meat packaging.
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