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State of Hawaii Department of Agriculture and Hawaii Farm Bureau use RFID to 
track and trace fresh produce for food safety certification pilot program

2/2/2009

The State of Hawaii Department of Agriculture and the Hawaii Farm Bureau have 
partnered to deploy a three-year pilot RFID initiative. The Hawaii Produce 
Traceability initiative uses UPM Raflatac RFID inlays to track and trace 
fresh produce throughout the State’s food supply chain. The innovative 
initiative, the first of its kind in the US, is designed to promote food 
safety by providing product visibility down to the farm or even field level. 
The RFID system provides detailed, real-time information which can be used to 
optimize the supply chain, enable recalls in less than an hour and improve 
inventory control. 

In the first phase Lowry Computer Products developed an RFID solution 
leveraging hardware from Motorola and Symbol Technologies, and Globe Ranger 
system software. The system pairs waterproof labels with UPM Raflatac 
ShortDipole UHF inlays with the Lowry Computer Products’ Fresh Harvest 
Solution to provide real-time supply chain data of when boxed produce is 
planted and harvested, what pesticides are used and when and where 
RFID-tagged boxes are scanned. The data is automatically uploaded into a 
database, where it can be used by program participants. It is also available 
for public review on the initiative web portal, 
www.hawaiifoodsafetycenter.org. 

Growers were offered the opportunity to participate by either slap-and-ship 
tagging or usage of a hand-held RFID system. Boxed produce is read at the 
distribution center upon entry and exit of both the physical facility and 
cold storage. Tags are read again at the retailers' point of entry, removal 
from cold storage and at end of life. Both the distribution center and 
retailer use a fixed portal RFID reader. 

Participants can use gathered data to optimize harvest productivity, 
strengthen food processing controls, increase cold chain visibility, reduce 
produce dwell time on shipping and receiving docks, accelerate transportation 
times between trading partners and improve inventory turns. This enables them 
to optimize margins in the competitive food industry. In the event of a food 
recall growers can quickly identify if they are impacted, thus enhancing 
their brand and protecting revenues. Affected growers can localize the impact 
of relevant recalls to the field level, minimizing losses. 

State officials are considering enhancements to the next two phases of the 
project, such as deploying RFID-enabled cellphones to enable more farms to 
participate, and implementing produce temperature tracking to reduce the 
threat of food spoilage. The initiative could be expanded to cover 5,000 
State farms at full implementation. 

“The Hawaii Produce Traceability initiative is an integral part of the State 
Food Safety Certification system,” says Dr. John Ryan, Administrator, Quality 
Assurance Division, State of Hawaii Department of Agriculture. “This project 
provides the backbone for future and more preventive closed-loop sensor 
technologies which are capable of measuring and reporting biocontaminants and 
temperature variations via the RFID system as produce moves through the 
supply chain. The RFID system will provide managers with improved real-time 
control over potential food safety problems and help to prevent wide-spread 
human and economic impact."

UPM Raflatac tag performance is currently being tested on shipments between 
Armstrong Produce and the Kaneohe, Hawaii Marine Base commissary. This 
important addition to the pilot program is in compliance with the Department 
of Defence RFID directives. “The Hawaii Produce Traceability initiative is 
providing UPM Raflatac with the opportunity to showcase the versatility and 
durability of its ShortDipole tag, which provides exceptional yields and 
performance throughout its lifecycle,” says Jan Svoboda, Sales and Marketing 
Director, Americas, RFID, UPM Raflatac.

Many of Hawaii’s leading growers, distributors and retailers, including 
Sugarland Farms, Hamakua Heritage Farms, Kula Country Farms, Maui Pineapple, 
Twin Bridge Farms, Kahuku Brand, Armstrong Produce and Foodland Stores have 
chosen to participate in this voluntary program. The initiative tracked 
several types of fresh produce including e.g. asparagus, eggplants, 
pineapples and tomatoes. 

Funding for the pilot program was provided by the U.S. Department of 
Agriculture, Economic Development Alliance of Hawaii, Federal State Marketing 
Improvement Program, and Hawaii Farm Bureau Federation. The pilot has been 
awarded with a Computerworld Laureate Gold Medal for using information 
technology to benefit society.

For further information please contact:
Mr Jan Svoboda, Sales and Marketing Director, Americas, RFID, UPM Raflatac, 
tel. +1 805 312 4679
Dr. John Ryan, Administrator, Quality Assurance Division, Hawaii State 
Department of Agriculture, tel. +1 808 832 0705

About the Hawaii Produce Traceability Initiative
The Hawaii Produce Traceability Initiative is a joint project of the Hawaii 
Farm Bureau and the Hawaii State Department of Agriculture. The project is 
supported by the Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension 
Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, under Award No. 2006-39537-1764, as 
well as the Economic Development Alliance of Hawaii.

http://www.upmraflatac.com/northamerica/eng/news/presscenter/2009/43_68542.asp


********************************************************************8

& another positive view from the "Packaging Digest"


Hawaii Uses New RFID System to Track and Trace Produce

Department of Agriculture and Farm Bureau implement certification pilot 
program

-- Packaging Digest, 2/2/2009 10:36:00 AM
The State of Hawaii Department of Agriculture and the Hawaii Farm Bureau have 
partnered to deploy a three-year pilot RFID initiative. The Hawaii Produce 
Traceability initiative uses UPM Raflatac RFID inlays to track and trace 
fresh produce throughout the State’s food supply chain. The innovative 
initiative, the first of its kind in the US, is designed to promote food 
safety by providing product visibility down to the farm or even field level. 
The RFID system provides detailed, real-time information which can be used to 
optimize the supply chain, enable recalls in less than an hour and improve 
inventory control.

In the first phase Lowry Computer Products developed an RFID solution 
leveraging hardware from Motorola and Symbol Technologies, and Globe Ranger 
system software. The system pairs waterproof labels with UPM Raflatac 
ShortDipole UHF inlays with the Lowry Computer Products’ Fresh Harvest 
Solution to provide real-time supply chain data of when boxed produce is 
planted and harvested, what pesticides are used and when and where 
RFID-tagged boxes are scanned. The data is automatically uploaded into a 
database, where it can be used by program participants. It is also available 
for public review on the initiative web portal, 
www.hawaiifoodsafetycenter.org.

Growers were offered the opportunity to participate by either slap-and-ship 
tagging or usage of a hand-held RFID system. Boxed produce is read at the 
distribution center upon entry and exit of both the physical facility and 
cold storage. Tags are read again at the retailers' point of entry, removal 
from cold storage and at end of life. Both the distribution center and 
retailer use a fixed portal RFID reader.

Participants can use gathered data to optimize harvest productivity, 
strengthen food processing controls, increase cold chain visibility, reduce 
produce dwell time on shipping and receiving docks, accelerate transportation 
times between trading partners and improve inventory turns.

This enables them to optimize margins in the competitive food industry. In 
the event of a food recall growers can quickly identify if they are impacted, 
thus enhancing their brand and protecting revenues. Affected growers can 
localize the impact of relevant recalls to the field level, minimizing losses.

State officials are considering enhancements to the next two phases of the 
project, such as deploying RFID-enabled cellphones to enable more farms to 
participate, and implementing produce temperature tracking to reduce the 
threat of food spoilage. The initiative could be expanded to cover 5,000 
State farms at full implementation.

“The Hawaii Produce Traceability initiative is an integral part of the State 
Food Safety Certification system,” says Dr. John Ryan, Administrator, Quality 
Assurance Division, State of Hawaii Department of Agriculture.

“This project provides the backbone for future and more preventive 
closed-loop sensor technologies which are capable of measuring and reporting 
biocontaminants and temperature variations via the RFID system as produce 
moves through the supply chain. The RFID system will provide managers with 
improved real-time control over potential food safety problems and help to 
prevent wide-spread human and economic impact."

UPM Raflatac tag performance is currently being tested on shipments between 
Armstrong Produce and the Kaneohe, Hawaii Marine Base commissary. This 
important addition to the pilot program is in compliance with the Department 
of Defense RFID directives. “The Hawaii Produce Traceability initiative is 
providing UPM Raflatac with the opportunity to showcase the versatility and 
durability of its ShortDipole tag, which provides exceptional yields and 
performance throughout its lifecycle,” says Jan Svoboda, Sales and Marketing 
Director, Americas, RFID, UPM Raflatac.

Many of Hawaii’s leading growers, distributors and retailers, including 
Sugarland Farms, Hamakua Heritage Farms, Kula Country Farms, Maui Pineapple, 
Twin Bridge Farms, Kahuku Brand, Armstrong Produce and Foodland Stores have 
chosen to participate in this voluntary program. The initiative tracked 
several types of fresh produce including e.g. asparagus, eggplants, 
pineapples and tomatoes.

Funding for the pilot program was provided by the U.S. Department of 
Agriculture, Economic Development Alliance of Hawaii, Federal State Marketing 
Improvement Program, and Hawaii Farm Bureau Federation. The pilot has been 
awarded with a Computerworld Laureate Gold Medal for using information 
technology to benefit society.


http://www.packagingdigest.com/article/CA6634041.html