Japan progresses trials of RFID in food tracing
Jan 05, 2005
Hideki Odate of the YRP Ubiquitous Networking Laboratory reports
"At the Ubiquitous ID Center, we are engaging in food product verification trials with an eye toward the verification of ucodes, RFIDs, etc., and the expansion of application examples.
These matters were selected for the 2003 General Food Product Measures Project - Traceability System Development Project, which made the T-Engine Forum the main body for executing them, and which is proceeding through cooperation obtained from the Yokosuka Hayama Agricultural Co-operative (production location), K.K. Keikyuu Sutoa (Keikyu Store supermarket chain) (sales shop), Yokosuka Seikabutsu K.K. (Yokosuka green grocery) (distribution), etc.
We began test preparations for system construction, etc., from July 2003, then we planned a trials schedule of a production support system at a production family farm from the end of September of the same year, and trials of a distribution utilization system in the distribution process and shops from January 2004.
Purpose of the Trials
The main objectives of the verification trials is as follows:
First, develop a system that integrates a system that checks for work errors and operations errors in production and distribution with a system that traces, and, by means of this, aim at a situation in which all the players concerned with the traceability chain can directly received the benefits of this system. In the trials on this occasion, it has been our thinking to concentrate on the check functions in the production stage in particular.
Second, we have made as an objective verifying the usefulness of a food traceability system that uses an integrated ubiquitous environment system in which the most leading edge, ultra-small RFID and ucode technologies are utilized.
To start with, in regard to the first objective, in order to carry out food product safety and trace the causes and specify the extent of damage following some sort of accident, it is necessary for the circumstances of food product handling in all the stages of production, distribution, and shops to be recorded so that it is possible to do tracing afterwards. Nevertheless, in the current traceability approach, as the benefits to the ultimate consumer are maximized, the cost of participation to the producer conversely becomes a burden, and thus an incentive temperature gap has appeared. However, in order to have total tracing, the participation of producers is indispensable, and thus how to raise the merits for the producer becomes the key to spreading and driving forward traceability. In the system in these verification trials, we have made as an objective establishing a traceability system structure that is profitable even to the producer, and we have tried out the following measures.
(1) Checking and tracing of the production processes at the family farm using RFIDs and a handheld terminal
We record using RFIDs and a handheld terminal at the time of spreading, when, what type of agricultural chemicals, and how much were spread. Also, we support quality ensuring in the production processes by comparing the production work circumstances at the family farm with the "Standard Production Procedures" that the agricultural co-op has made as the standard for quality management, and feeding back the information to the family farm.
(2) Following distribution, making public in the shop the trace information from the production processes
When we pass over the top of an RFID that has been attached to a food product in the distribution stage a handheld terminal that has been placed in the shop, it is possible for us to confirm its production and distribution circumstances and the circumstances of agricultural chemical administration.
(3) Making public via the Internet basic materials data that record the relationship of production methods and safety
We make public via the Internet the basic materials that serve as ingredients to judge the safety of the food products that you yourself are eating."
Food Traceability 2006 conference will be held on February 1-2 2006 in Dallas, USA. This hot topic is driven by health scares, bioterrorism and new laws. It will become the largest RFID application but we cover DNA and many other vital technologies as well. For further details please visit www.trackingfood.com 
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