Oct 24, 2023

Whether you are purchasing imported jam, a jug of milk, or sushi, every grocery store item will have an elusive date hidden somewhere on the packaging. “Sell-by”, “best-by”, and “use-by” dates have confused many shoppers due to their abstract meaning. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), those small dates may follow the guidelines below:

• Best-by dates tell the buyer the last day consumers can expect changes in flavor.
• Sell-by dates indicate how long a product should be displayed for sale.
• Use-by dates are an estimate from the manufacturer as to when the product will no longer taste best.
• Freeze-by dates note the last day by which a product can be frozen and still maintain quality.

Despite these definitions, the USDA itself states that there “are no uniform or universally accepted descriptions used on food labels for open dating in the United States”. The lack of standardized freshness markers has contributed to growing levels of food waste in the nation. Past studies report that American food producers have spent up to $218 billion growing and distributing food that is never eaten, resulting in approximately eight million tons of wasted products in the supply chain.

Freshness dates aim at establishing visibility of a product’s quality. However, if proper storage and handling are not conducted, foods may not make it to the established date, compromising consumer safety. Likewise, if a product is well cared for after checkout, it may last beyond the stipulated timeframe. As a result, food distributors are turning to real-time visibility solutions to provide a more accurate picture of stock quality and minimize waste and financial loss. While many kinds of food products can benefit from close monitoring, notable traction is seen when tracking:

• Seafood
• Poultry
• Meat
• Dairy

Related: There’s no place for compromise when it comes to food safety. See why.

Different types of inventories may require adjustments in your real-time tracking system. As a result, it is highly recommended that businesses first understand the technologies available to monitor product quality.

5 Technologies Helping Food Distributors Track Freshness

As food distributors strive to maintain the highest standards of quality in their products, they have turned to new technologies to help them track and manage their supply chains. Here are the top 5 technologies that food distributors use to ensure a product’s freshness in the supply chain.

1. RFID Technology:

Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology is widely used in the food industry to track products throughout the supply chain in real time. RFID tags are first attached to individual products, pallets, and trucks to monitor their movement and temperature. Readers can then scan these tags to obtain information about the products and share their status to a shared database such as a WMS or inventory management system. Because RFID provides real-time visibility into the supply chain, distributors may quickly identify any issues and take corrective action before products spoil and lose freshness.

2. GPS Tracking:

Leveraging familiar technologies, Global Positioning System (GPS) tracking is commonly used to track products in the supply chain. GPS devices can be paired with your handheld devices and installed on trucks, shipping containers, and other vehicles to monitor movement and location. This provides distributors with real-time information about product delivery times, signaling teams on potential delays and route changes, which could impair product freshness. By connecting your GPS tracking systems with dock schedules, companies can improve forecasting by seeing which and when products will arrive and be ready for sale.

3. Temperature Monitoring:

Vital to curb spoilage and foodborne illnesses, temperature monitoring is a critical aspect of verifying product freshness. Bluetooth-enabled sensors and monitoring systems help track temperature throughout the supply chain by deploying real-time alerts when temperatures fall outside of acceptable ranges. Sensors equipped with flexible connectivity systems go a step further by preventing signal drops and interference, so businesses can count on undisrupted visibility beyond the shipping dock. Lastly, temperature sensors connect to your IoT system for real-time visibility into shifting temperatures wherever they are deployed.

Related: See how Heartland improves food safety with intelligent temperature monitoring.

4. Blockchain Technology:

Blockchain technology is a relatively new development in the food industry, but it is quickly gaining popularity among food distributors. Blockchain can be used to create a tamper-proof record of every transaction in the supply chain, providing a transparent and secure way to track products from farm to table. This technology can also be used to track product quality and freshness by allowing distributors to update participating parties on any changes in production or distribution.

Related: Blockchain is empowering sustainable practices in the warehouse. See how.

5. Low Power, Wide Area Networks (LPWANs):

Emerging connectivity systems such as 5G and WiFi 6 are set to revolutionize data exchange for transportation teams; however, connectivity ranges often vary and lack support for logistics beyond land. On the other hand, LPWANs can connect teams across long distances while consuming less energy and protecting device uptime. Furthermore, these signals also struggle less with transmitting data across dense materials. By working alongside a network developer, businesses can adjust ranges and coverage to safeguard visibility in remote areas.

What to Ask Before Optimizing Food Tracking in Your Distribution Center

Before selecting any of the systems above or combining them, it is vital that modernizing distributors address the following questions alongside their solution provider to ensure a smoother rollout:

• What type of product is being tracked? – Dense materials and liquid containers may pose a greater challenge for RFID sensors. Exported goods traveling via airplane will require technologies that can withstand sudden changes in air pressure along with flexible connectivity networks to deliver real-time visibility during air travel.
• What storage environments will your products pass through? – Cold storage environments have been an obstacle for rugged labels since condensation contributes to peeling and wrinkling. Similarly, stock transported via ground shipping may experience more tumbles and jolts, requiring higher durability standards from your labels, sensors, and readers.
• Who needs to see your data? – Despite lenient packaging standards, new regulations like the FSMA-204 still require data to be sharable and exportable between manufacturers, distributors, and grocers. This may create a demand for seamless data-sharing mechanisms and reliable communication channels between related parties.

Food distributors are under constant pressure to ensure their products are fresh and of the highest quality. By leveraging the latest technologies, they can track and manage their supply chains more effectively, identify issues quickly, and take corrective action to maintain product freshness. The systems discussed here are just a few of the technologies helping food distributors expand inventory control. To learn more about how you can modernize quality checks, contact our automation specialists. As technology continues to evolve, we can expect to see even more innovative solutions emerge to help food distributors meet the growing demand for fresh, high-quality products.