Safety is the most important consideration in the food industry. Ensuring that consumers receive good quality food is not just a legal and ethical imperative, either. If your customers receive products that negatively impact their health, you’re likely to experience reputational damage to your brand.
This is why many eCommerce businesses in the food sector continually explore innovative approaches to prioritizing consumer well-being. One of the most prevalent at the moment is the Internet of Things (IoT). Specifically, there are opportunities to utilize smart labels that interact with this ecosystem of connected devices and software. With a little extra planning and design, could this passive aspect of packaging play a more active role in safety?
We’re going to explore this concept a little further.
The Growth of IoT in the Food Industry
To get a good understanding of how IoT-enabled labels could impact consumer safety, it’s worth first looking at how the technology fits into the industry. It’s likely the case that you’ve already seen some form of IoT being used in your eCommerce operations. In the food industry, among other elements, the IoT is helping to drive smart manufacturing solutions. For instance, sensors throughout the IoT in a manufacturing plant can gather data from machines, components, and products. This enables analytics software to provide real-time safety and efficiency information to managers and even drive automated processes.
So, how does labeling fit into the equation? Well, in order for the sensors in the IoT to gather data, there needs to be a component on the product that provides the most relevant information. On food packaging, this is usually the label. In many cases, this is as simple as a barcode. However, in recent years quick response (QR) codes have been more practical for the IoT as they can be smaller while still readable by sensors. Additionally, embedded radio frequency identification (RFID) chips in labels can provide more nuanced and accurate data about items, such as their geographical location.
This means that food sector eCommerce businesses can have full visibility of products throughout the manufacturing, warehousing, and shipping process. This enhances your safety and strategic capabilities. Furthermore, it presents fantastic opportunities to pass this access to transparent data to consumers to some extent. After all, customers are starting to incorporate IoT-related devices into their lives. Your approach to labeling can be a way to practically collaborate on safety with your customers.
Providing Health Information
Food manufacturers and retailers are already expected to display a certain amount of information on their labels to be fully visible to consumers. The most important data tends to be that related to health. One of the benefits of using IoT-enabled labels is that they can store more detailed information than would usually be able to fit on the label’s text. This helps customers make more informed decisions about the products you send them.
Some of the more in-depth information that could be stored on QR code links or RFID chips may include:
- Allergens: Information related to allergens is an important part of safety communication. Some of the most common food allergies include cow’s milk, eggs, peanuts, and soy. Even trace amounts of these items in products can cause discomfort and serious harm to consumers, including intestinal discomfort or respiratory distress. RFID chips and QR codes can contain detailed information about the potential for allergic reactions. This isn’t just about ingredients but also about the presence of materials in the facility that might lead to cross-contamination.
- Nutritional information: Health information isn’t just about the ingredients that trigger immediate safety challenges but also long-term wellness. Current regulations require that labels display data such as servings per container and specific mandatory nutrients, including trans fat. However, IoT-connected labels could link to more in-depth nutritional information so consumers can understand how the product fits into their specific dietary or health needs. Indeed, there could also be options to provide healthy recipe suggestions.
So, how can consumers access this information via the IoT? The most common approach is to embed online links in QR codes. Many smartphones today have camera functions that scan QR codes and connect to the linked sites. However, there are also mobile apps that scan barcodes and RFID chips to check for data related to potential health risks.
Minimizing Unsafe Products
It’s important to remember that the revolutionary potential for IoT-enabled food labels begins far before the products reach the consumer. One of the most exciting aspects of IoT-enabled labels is that they promote holistic connectivity. Everybody related to the production has access to information that empowers them to collaborate on maximizing safety.
This is because RFID chips and QR codes on labels mean your business and supply chain partners can automatically track the entire journey of each item.
What elements of this can be useful?
- Exposure data: The IoT can log the conditions, staff members, and potential contaminants each product has been exposed to. This includes the aforementioned allergens, but also errors. For instance, cold chain delivery partners can use devices in the IoT to track temperature levels throughout the journey. Data analytics software can identify when foods may have been exposed to temperatures that potentially make them unsafe. This can then trigger automatic alerts to either production managers or directly to consumers themselves. This prevents the potential for knowledge of exposure only arising when consumers have already become sick.
- Expired items: Certainly in the best scenarios, your business will be vigilant about stock rotation to ensure the older items are dispatched to consumers first. However, labels connected to the IoT can add an extra layer of safeguarding to mitigate human error. RFID chips in labels not only hold production data but also the precise location of items. This means expired or close-to-expiry items can be easily found and managed. It also allows for daily analytics to inform warehouse managers of which items have been overlooked in stock rotation processes so they can remedy the situation.
For these IoT-enabled labels to have the most impact, though, it’s important to ensure all your supply chain partners use compatible hardware and software. You can’t have full mutual visibility of items if there’s a single link in the chain that isn’t collecting, sharing, and viewing the label data.
Conclusion
IoT-enabled food labels are increasingly useful for ensuring consumer safety. This is certainly helped by the ongoing accessibility of relevant devices and applications for both businesses and customers. However, it’s wise to remember that this technology is continuing to develop. Be open to exploring innovative approaches to labeling and assessing your current methods. Importantly, communicate with customers about how you’re using the IoT and how they can best take advantage of your efforts.
