An evaluation of the ability of RFID tags to withstand distribution of fresh produce in the RPC pooling system

Abstract

SUMMARYThis study focused on the ability of radio frequency identifi cation (RFID) tags applied on reusable plastic containers (RPCs) to withstand repeated abuse due to physical distribution and storage environment related hazards. It also studied the effect of the chemical cleaning environments that RPCs are commonly exposed to in the pooling/rental systems commonly used to distribute fresh produce. RPCs are being successfully deployed in the US, Europe and Asia to ship fresh produce from growers to retailers. The increasing demand for traceability and tracking of fresh produce from 'farm to fork' requires these containers to be monitored and identifi ed in the food supply chain, and RFID technology provides one of the solutions. This study compared eight commercially available RFID tags mounted on RPCs for use in fresh produce distribution and subjected them to repeated physical and climatic cycles representing the distribution and cleaning environments, and their effective 'read' capabilities were tested.

Evaluation of an innovative system for improving readability of passive UHF RFID tags attached to reusable plastic containers

“…15 It concluded that in general, the process of sanitization was more detrimental to tag readability as compared to transportation and handling and that the ideal protection method for reuse of RFID tags on reusable containers is by encapsulation of the tag or integrating it within the RPCs during their manufacturing.…”

The Use of Radio Frequency Identification Technology in Packaging Systems: Experimental Research on Traceability

“…The performance of the application of RFID technology to packaging depends on many factors, such as environment, geometry of the product/package and packaging materials …”

“… aimed to evaluate the readability issues commonly faced by tagged cases of palletised consumer products. The application of RFID technology to re‐usable plastic containers was studied by Singh et al ., trying to improve the readability of passive RFID tags. In 2012, Bogataj et al .…”

“…The performance of the application of RFID technology to packaging depends on many factors, such as environment, geometry of the product/package and packaging materials. 46 The costs of RFID technology in packaging and the potential benefits vary according to the packaging level that is tagged. According to Hellström,22 the average time to pick an order decreases by roughly 25% when RFID technology is used in secondary packaging.…”

“…In the same year, Singh et al 20 aimed to evaluate the readability issues commonly faced by tagged cases of palletised consumer products. The application of RFID technology to re-usable plastic containers was studied by Singh et al, 46,47 trying to improve the readability of passive RFID tags. In 2012, Bogataj et al 21 analysed the effects that have to be considered before applying the RFID system on packaging, and Lindqvist et al 48 aimed to find the best way to produce additional business for the value chain of packages as a communication medium, via existing technologies for automatic identification (i.e.…”