The growing global concerns about food shortages, food supply and food safety and quality leads consumers, shippers, retailers, manufacturers and producers to examine how foods moves throughout the supply chain.
To secure the welfare of each participating party in the supply chain, President Obama signed the US Food and Drug Administration Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) on January 4th, 2011. This law mandates every company to implement traceability programs in order to identify the movement of food from its point of origin to the point of purchase. Through this method, risk is mitigated.
Despite the financial and logistic hurdles which the law provides, it cannot be denied that it is beneficial for all parties concerned. The law actually redefines how foods are tracked and monitored as it moves through the supply chain. Furthermore, the focus of the law is to prevent instead of responding to contamination cases.
Before the distribution of RFID technology on the market, companies are utilizing manual recordkeeping processes and bar code based systems in tracking its assets. Through the years, it was found out that manual recordkeeping is labor intensive, error-prone and time-consuming process. It also prevents companies from producing timely and effective solutions to present problems. Barcode system is made better than the manual recordkeeping but it is still inefficient though less error-prone, time-consuming and labor intensive compared to manual recordkeeping processes.
The latest advances in technology has enabled companies to improve their ways in managing and processing data. The RFID technology has actually allowed millions of organizations to acquire real-time data and information which help them in producing informed, time-based and effective solutions to present problems.
Moreover, RFID technology is not just capable of protecting consumers. It enables companies to save a big sum of money from paying insurance rates. Insurance companies offer discounts to food manufacturers, shippers, retailers and producers who employ RFID technology in tracking and monitoring the movement of their goods.
The utilization of RFID-based technology in the US food industry has enabled consumers to acquire and consumer fresh and topnotch quality seasonal foods. RFID technology works with temperature monitoring and management in securing the safety and quality of food products such as lobster, dairy, meat, fish and beef.
Undeniably, RFID-based technology has created a major improvement in the US food industry as it enables shippers, manufacturers and food growers to to track he movement of their food products thereby resulting to an enhanced food safety and quality.
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