Walmart and Avery Dennison introduced a new innovation to advance the utilization of radio-frequency identification (RFID) technology in fresh categories previously not possible. Creating a way for food waste and ensuring freshness are more important than ever for consumers, producers and food retail.
This first-to-market platform is set to transform inventory processes and enhance both associate as well as customer experiences across fresh departments, particularly bakery, meat and deli.
Working towards help develop a solution to a longstanding industry challenge of using RFID technology in high-moisture, cold environments, like meat cases, Walmart teamed with Avery Dennison to create and test a first-of-its-kind sensor technology that brings RFID-enabled labels to the meat department.
By utilizing Avery Dennison’s RFID solutions in meat, along with bakery and the deli department, Walmart associates can track inventory faster and more accurately—making sure products stay stocked and ready when customers want them. With digital use-by dates right at their fingertips, associates can also rotate products more efficiently and make smarter markdown decisions, helping cut down on unsold food.
Executive Statement
According to Christyn Keef, VP of Front End Transformation for Walmart U.S., they believe technology should make things easier for both their associates and their customers. By cutting down on manual work, they are giving their associates more time to focus on what really matters—helping their customers.
According to Julie Vargas, VP and GM of Avery Dennison Identification Solutions, supporting Walmart with first-to-market RFID innovation across multiple fresh food categories underscores their mutual commitment to people and the planet. By giving each item its own digital identity, associates instantly know the freshness of the foods they are handling, enabling better inventory management and resulting in less waste. This is a landmark moment for the industry, and chimes with their own personal milestone as Avery Dennison celebrates 90 years of helping to solve some of the world’s most complex challenges.