Not offical Chill-On blog

The Lexmark RFID UHF Option was released this week as a $2,500 accessory to the company’s T654 monochrome laser printer. When equipped with this option, the printer can produce individual Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tags that can be attached to individual files, hardware, or other items for easy tracking and access.

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US demand for active and intelligent packaging will climb 8.3% pa through 2013, driven in part by food safety concerns and losses in perishables as per Freedonia. Intelligent packaging will grow the fastest, propelled by time-temperature indicators and other products that offer product differentiation, traceability and interactive features. Revenues will rise to almost US$2 bln in 2013, well above the overall packaging industry.

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he BRIDGE (Building Radio frequency Identification solutions for the Global Environment) Pharma Traceability Pilot – the first project to implement an international supply chain-wide traceability system based on mass serialisation techniques – has published its findings, recommendations and conclusions in the project’s Evaluation Report. The project team found that full supply chain traceability systems within an open, cross-border supply chain is feasible in the European Pharmaceutical sector. The full report is available to the public on www.bridgewp6.euand www.bridge-project.eu.

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Farmers say a new traceability program isn’t worth the cost to implement it. Livestock producers say thousands of dollars are spent each year on tags to help track where beef comes from, but it’s actually processors who need to be more accountable.

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Tesco suppliers are under pressure to meet the retailer’s strict labelling requirements – set down in a move to cut order errors and boost visibility in its supply chain.

The labels are of GS1 global pallet identification standard and comprise a serial shipping container code (SSCC), which is a unique serial number used to identify each pallet, and track them through the supply chain.

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Supermarkets feed the growing appetite for seafood in the U.S. and ring up approximately $16 billion each year in seafood sales. Consumers buy half their seafood at supermarkets, yet as our report reveals, few supermarkets meet this consumer demand with any regard for the marine environment.

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Reduced food waste and lower traceability costs could result from a new independent study which confirms that RFID tags can be used effectively more than once.

A new video that guides viewers through the innermost operations of American Apparel’s item-level RFID inventory management system can now be accessed by apparel, retail and RFID professionals at http://www.ibmd.averydennison.com/american-apparel

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Office of Law Enforcement (OLE) is looking into allegations that U.S. Gulf shrimp processors are mislabeling imported farmed product as domestic wild product and commingling shrimp. But the agency on Wednesday was unable to provide much in the way of details to the ongoing investigation.

The OLE has executed search warrants at multiple shrimp processing plants in several Gulf Coast states, confiscating product and records, James Kejonen, a special agent in the OLE’s Slidell, La., office, told SeafoodSource. The investigation has been ongoing for several months, he added.

rganized by the Global Supply Chain Council, a leading independent professional organization, the 2nd Cold Chain Summit to be held in Shanghai on July 11 is China’s only conference and networking event for senior executives involved in cold chain.

Saying bar codes are cheaper than RFID tags is like saying a wood-handled hammer is cheaper than a nail gun. Well, yeah. But it takes a mere fraction of the time to finish a job with a nail gun than it would with an old-fashioned hammer. Similarly, apparel retailers have found that it takes 75 percent to 80 percent less time to complete a store inventory with RFID than with bar codes.

Buying, sales and/or marketing management groups have a bird’s-eye view as they watch foodservice trends and identify members’ products that fit operators’ needs.

The focus on the economy, which has brought fewer guests into restaurants, has caused Pro*Act LLC, Monterey, Calif., to work with its suppliers to be more innovative with product offerings and services to help trim costs from the supply chain, said Steve Grinstead, president and chief executive officer.

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The dairy, meat and smallgoods sections, from page 6 onwards, focus on the innovations and opportunities that are occurring throughout the country, despite various negative forces. From research into extending product shelf life; to healthier ingredients and additives; and all the way through to better traceability through distribution networks – if there’s a possible cash cow to be found, you’ll find it here.

Recall Newsletter

Federal regulators yesterday informed the Gloucester Seafood Display Auction, the main clearinghouse for fish brought into this historic port, that the business must close for 10 days for falsifying records involving illegally landed cod.

Long-term focus needed when weighing traceability costs

Calculating the cost-benefit of the traceability initiative