EPCIS based online temperature monitoring and traceability in a cold meat chain

Temperature monitoring is the most critical requirement in the management of a cold products chain. A real-time temperature monitoring system can be useful in reducing losses in a cold food chain that occur due to product deterioration caused by fluctuating temperatures. A pilot test was conducted to evaluate the functionality of an EPCIS based online system for time-temperature monitoring and documenting traceability in a cold meat chain. The test was performed during transportation of chilled lamb products. The RFID based temperature sensors were used to record temperature of the product and ambient temperature inside the container at 10 min time intervals during transportation between processing plant and a distribution terminal 800 km away. The sensors communicated with the main unit installed in the truck and transmitted the data to an EPCIS based system which was accessible through a web interface. The temperature information was recorded as EPCIS events. The results of the application of EPCIS for online temperature monitoring are presented in this paper. Implementing a systematic EPCIS based cold chain monitoring tool can optimize the performance of the whole food supply chain by reducing losses caused by quality deterioration due to temperature variations.