Moisture and cold-resistant technology brings digital identification to meat, deli and bakery departments for the first time.
Walmart and Avery Dennison have developed an innovative RFID solution that overcomes the historical technical limitations of the technology in fresh products. The innovation focuses on high-humidity, low-temperature environments such as chilled meat counters, where RFID has previously been inapplicable.
The technological breakthrough
Avery Dennison's new sensor technology enables the application of RFID labels to meat, bakery and delicatessen products. Each item acquires a digital identity with integrated expiry dates, allowing staff to monitor shelf life instantly and optimise stock rotation.
Sustainability benefits
The system automates inventory management in fresh departments, significantly reducing food waste through:
- Real-time traceability of product freshness
- More precise markdown decisions based on digital data
- Optimised stock rotation to minimise losses
The initiative supports Walmart's objective to halve the intensity of global operational food losses by 2030, transforming cold chain management through digitalisation.
Operational impact
The solution eliminates traditional manual checks, accelerating inventory processes and improving accuracy in expiry date management. Avery Dennison's Optica portfolio aims to create a fully connected food supply chain, with visibility from production to point of sale.
The implementation represents the first industrial case of RFID systematically applied to highly perishable fresh products, opening new possibilities for intelligent packaging in the food sector.
