Using RFID-Technology For Improved Traceability And Information Sharing : Creating An Integrated Food Supply Chain From Farm To Fork

This paper investigates the driving and limiting factors influencing the implementation of RFID-technology as a traceability tool in the food supply chain. RFID-technology has not been widely implemented in the food supply chain, even though in other industries it has clear benefits for shrinkage and other traceability issues. The most influential driver is the increase in Operational efficiency that RFID-technology would enable, increasing collaboration between supply chain actors and even within actors themselves, as the operational processes can be streamlined largely, diminishing manual actions and increasing accuracy. The largest added value on product level is the amount of information that can be stored on RFID-tags and the information exchange possibilities this offers, from farm to fork. The largest difficulties are with low-margin products, as the costs of a RFID-tag on products with low margins are initially harder on the profitability of these products, of which the food retail has so many. Also, the largest benefits come when all products are handled with RFID-tags, and the total investment in infrastructure and process changes this entails makes it a large operation. The big challenge there is who would take the responsibility to move first and how responsibilities will be shared.