RFID technology helps cold chain logistics management of agricultural products

With the continuous increase of people's demand for fresh food, the development of cold chain logistics of agricultural products has been promoted, and the requirements for food quality and safety have promoted the application of RFID technology in fresh food transportation. Combining RFID technology with temperature sensors can create a set of solutions, montor and simplify the operations process such as  transportation and storage of agricultural products cold chain, shorten time and reduce costs in logistics. Monitoring temperature changes and managing the logistics environment can ensure food quality, reduce the possibility of food spoilage, and improve food safety. RFID technology can track and record the whole process of logistics. Once food safety problems occur, it is also convenient to trace the source and distinguish responsibilities, thereby reducing economic disputes.

Application of RFID technology in each link of agricultural product cold chain logistics

1. Trace the production and processing links of agricultural products

In the cold chain logistics of agricultural products, agricultural products generally come from planting or breeding bases.
The processing factory offer the RFID electronic label for each type of agricultural product from the food supplier, and the supplier places the label in the package when shipping. When the agricultural products arrive at the processing factory, the information is collected through the RFID intelligent terminal equipment. If the temperature exceeds the preset temperature range, the factory can reject it.
At the same time, the processing enterprise is equipped with a temperature monitoring system in the workshop to monitor the environmental conditions of agricultural products. After the packaging is completed, a new electronic label is pasted on the packaging, and the new processing date and supplier information are added to facilitate traceability. At the same time, the factory can know the quantity of agricultural products at any time during packaging, which is convenient for arranging staff in advance and improving work efficiency.

2. Improve the efficiency of warehousing

Warehousing is currently the top priority in the cold chain logistics of agricultural products. When the agricultural product with electronic tags enters the sensing area, the fixed or handheld RFID reader writer can dynamically identify multiple tags at one time at a distance, and transfer the product information in the tags to the warehouse management system. The warehouse management system compares the quantity, type and other information of the goods with the warehousing plan to confirm whether they are consistent; analyzes the temperature information in the label to determine whether the logistics process of the food is safe; and enters the receipt time and quantity into the back-end database. After the products are put into storage, the RFID tags with temperature sensors periodically record the measured temperature at predetermined time intervals, and transmit the temperature data to the readers in the warehouse, which are finally aggregated to the back-end database for centralized management and analysis. When leaving the warehouse, the label on the food package is also read by the RFID reader, and the storage system is compared with the export plan to record the time and quantity of the warehouse.

3. Real-time tracking of transportation links

During the cold chain logistics transportation of agricultural products, Android mobile RFID device is equipped together, and labels are also provided on the packaging of cold fresh food, and the actual temperature is detected and recorded according to the established time interval. Once the temperature is abnormal, the system will automatically alarm, and the driver can take measures at the first time, thus avoiding the risk of chain disconnection caused by human negligence. The combined application of RFID and GPS technology can realize geographic location tracking, real-time temperature monitoring and cargo information query, can accurately predict the arrival time of vehicles, optimize the cargo transportation process, reduce transportation time and loading idle time, and fully ensure the quality of food.

Through the combination of RFID radio frequency identification technology and sensing technology, Handheld-Wireless RFID handheld terminal can timely and accurately track the entire flow process and temperature changes of fresh agricultural products, avoid the problem of deterioration in the product circulation process, and shorten the purchase and delivery time. This improves the efficiency of loading, unloading and handling, improves the accuracy of all aspects of logistics, shortens the supply cycle, optimizes inventory, and reduces the cost of cold chain logistics for agricultural products.