RFID and Sensor Network Automation in the Food Industry

Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) is a key technology in the food industry that facilitates real-time visibility of items as they move through the supply chain and on to the end-consumer. Among all the currently available automatic identification technologies, RFID has clear dominance in terms of its ability to support real-time two-way communication, data storage and update, authentication, ambient condition sense and report, batch read without direct line-of-sight, operation in harsh environments and sensor-based applications. RFID and Sensor Network Automation in the Food Industry provides sufficient detail on the use of RFID and sensor networks from `farm to fork' (F2F) to allow the reader to appreciate the myriad possible applications of RFID and associated sensor network systems throughout the entire food supply chain. This includes precision agriculture, the provision of seamless visibility in track and trace applications, reduction of wastage, identification of counterfeits and contamination sources, remaining shelf-life applications for perishables, and quality and safety measures, among others. Providing state-of-the-art information from peer-reviewed research publications as well as general industry trends, this book will be of interest to all stakeholders in the agri-food supply chain, and academics and advanced students with an interest in these fields.

Auteur
Selwyn Piramuthu, Professor, Information Systems and Operations Management, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA. Wei Zhou, Associate Professor, Information & Operations Management, ESCP Europe, Paris, France.

Contenu
Preface, xiii

Acknowledgments, xvii

Part I: Introduction

1 Book overview, 3

1.1 General trends, 4

1.1.1 Population growth, 4

1.1.2 Food quality and safety, 6

1.2 Challenges faced by the food industry, 7

1.2.1 Political, economic, and social influences, 8

1.2.2 Global warming, 9

1.3 Traceability in the food industry, 10

1.4 Structure of this book, 13

References, 15

2 RFID, sensor networks, 17

Summary, 17

2.1 History of RFID and relevant technologies, 17

2.1.1 AIDC technologies, 19

2.1.2 Applications, 22

2.2 Technology overview of RFID, 23

2.2.1 Tags, receivers, and information systems for RFID, 23

2.2.2 RFID tag, 24

2.2.3 RFID receiver and information system, 26

2.3 RFID and sensor networks integration in the food industry, 27

2.3.1 RFID and WSN architectures, 27

2.4 RFID implementation challenges, 37

2.4.1 Ownership transfer issues, 37

2.4.2 Cost issues, 40

2.4.3 Privacy/security issues, 41

2.4.4 Back-end system bottleneck, 42

2.4.5 Risk of obsolescence, 43

2.4.6 Read error, 44

2.4.7 Economic disincentives to sharing item-level information, 45

2.4.8 Recent debates, 46

References, 47

Part II: RFID in food production, the supply chain, retailing, and sustainability

3 RFID in agriculture, 53

Summary, 53

3.1 Agricultural production systems, 56

3.1.1 Crop cultivation system, 56

3.1.2 Livestock production systems, 59

3.1.3 Mixed crop and livestock systems, 61

3.1.4 Productivity and potential constraints, 62

3.2 RFID-enabled sensor network automation in agriculture, 63

3.2.1 Environmental monitoring, 63

3.2.2 Precision agriculture, 67

3.2.3 Machinery management, 74

3.2.4 Facility automation, 79

3.2.5 Agricultural traceability, 81

3.3 Standards, challenges, and limitations, 83

3.3.1 Technological implementations, 83

3.3.2 RFID standardization in agriculture, 84

3.3.3 Harsh environment, 85

3.3.4 Read range and accuracy, 85

3.3.5 Data management and information granularity, 86

3.3.6 Cost, 86

3.3.7 Skilled personnel shortage, 87

3.3.8 Integration with chemical sensors, 87

References, 87

4 RFID and sensor network in food processing, 93

Summary, 93

4.1 Automated food-processing technologies, 95

4.1.1 Process control systems and structure, 96

4.1.2 Food-processing stages, 98

4.2 RFID and sensor network automation in food processing, 101

4.2.1 Sensor networks in food processing control, 101

4.2.2 Automation in food processing, 106

4.2.3 Accurate and fuzzy controls, 108

4.3 Case study, 110

4.3.1 Wine bottle traceability at Chateau Louis, 110

References, 111

5 RFID in food supply-chain management, 113

Summary, 113

5.1 RFID and the food supply chain, 114

5.1.1 Globalization of the food supply chain, 114

5.1.2 Contamination incidents, 115

5.1.3 Government regulations, 115

5.1.4 RFID as an indispensable solution, 116

5.1.5 RFID Advantages in the food supply chain, 118

5.2 Food supply chain traceability, 120

5.2.1 Related literature, 121

5.2.2 Examples of traceability, 122

5.2.3 Modeling traceability in the food chain, 124

5.2.4 Intelligent transition model of physical traceability, 125

5.2.5 Data analysis: An example of Bayesian network, 126

5.3 Global food supply chain e-collaboration, 129

5.3.1 EDI in the food industry, 130 5.3.2 RFID's impact on EDI in the food industry, 132</...