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SCAN MAN: RFID holds promise, but increased use of bar coding is a more immediate and practical option for companies to meet growing traceability and efficiency needs.

Rasmussen

Despite this year’s high-profile recalls of baby formula, pet food, peanut butter, toothpaste and even baby toys, progress is being made to set the foundation for improved product safety and traceability.

Technology and standards advancements are making it easier for food companies to leverage their existing processes to gain greater visibility and control.

If you’re thinking this is another article about the promise of RFID, you’re wrong. Bar codes will again play a central role in improving safety, security and efficiency in the food industry. Bar coding is at the heart of three related developments that could transform the food supply chain:

• The GS1 Global Traceability Standard, which supports data structures and bar code formats commonly used in the industry;
• Emergence of 2D bar codes, including GS1 DataBar, which is scheduled to replace the UPC and EAN symbologies;
• Advances in imaging technology that make it possible and practical to read both linear and 2D bar codes at near and far range in distribution centers.

RFID holds promise too, especially for its ability to be read when there is no direct line of site to the reader and to identify multiple objects simultaneously. But increased use of bar coding is a more immediate and practical option for many companies to meet growing traceability and efficiency needs. Bar codes are already integral to food production and distribution operations.

Companies can expand their bar code programs now to improve traceability, while evaluating whether RFID would be beneficial. Here’s how emerging bar code technologies and standards could impact food logistics operations.