The system, provided by Norwegian company TAG Sensors, features a data logger consisting of a Near Field Communication (NFC) high-frequency (HF) or EPCGen 2 ultrahigh-frequency (UHF) passiveRFIDchip, as well as a temperature sensor, a clock, an antenna and a printed battery. The full solution also includes RFID readers and printers, cloud-based software and a smartphone app.
Companies like the European McDonald's restaurant operator can use TAG Sensors' solution not only to identify where goods are located (by reading the tags throughout the supply chain), but also to learn the temperatures to which the tagged goods have been exposed, and when, in order to identify any discrepancies before a product reaches a consumer.
The European McDonald's entity has been testing the technology since earlier this year, according to Knut Nygard, the company's cofounder and CEO. Other European companies, including food producers and pharmaceutical firms, are also either testing or preparing to test the system.
