RFID Helps Growers Meet New Food Trace-Back Requirements

RFID, which stands for Radio Frequency Identification, has been used in everything from scientific studies to toll roads and the uses continue to grow. One current area of focus is how the technology can be used to allow manufacturers to meet the new food trace-back requirements. At this time, the FDA has not finalized the regulations. Some manufacturers are still waiting to learn when they will be required to change the way they do business. For those companies, it is business as usual. Other companies started researching new ways to track foods years ago. For example, Dole Foods started using RFID-tracking after an e-coli outbreak was linked to their packaged spinach in 2006. Companies like Dole are the smart ones. Not only is the risk of making hundreds of people sick a reality. There is also the risk of losing more money than is absolutely necessary. Dole had to recall all of their packaged spinach, because the company could not determine which lot had been contaminated. They lost thousands of dollars. The new technology allows them to trace lots of produce from the grower to the packaging plants and on to the stores. They have increased consumer safety and company profitability without making their foods unaffordable. While the FDA is not likely to require the use of RFID technology specifically, most companies agree that this is the best solution for meeting the new food trace-back requirements. It is simply the most cost-effective solution, not just for big companies like Dole. Small growers can also afford to implement the programs. Small growers were affected by the 2006 e-coli outbreak. Restaurants and grocers were also affected. For a short period of time, all products containing spinach were removed from store shelves. It took governmental and industry officials almost three weeks to sound the all-clear signal that spinach was again "okay". It wasn't until 2012 that the FDA began working on the new food trace-back requirements. At least one consulting company for food-safety began testing the use of RFID technology shortly after the outbreak. The stated goal was to allow the industry to react faster to outbreaks and be able to narrow the scope of the problem more quickly; that is to find the actual source of the outbreak in a timely manner. Companies that start meeting the food trace-back requirements now may be able to say, "The problem is not here." RFID tagging can help them avoid unnecessary recalls.

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