RFID Applications for Integrating and Informationalizing the Supply Chain of Foodservice Operators

Abstract

By enabling easier and real-time information sharing among supply chain partners, Internet applications foster and support new forms of collaborative supply chain management (SCM) practices within the foodservice sector. Advances in Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technologies extend such collaborative SCM practices by increasingly integrating and synchronizing demand and supply chains. The objective of this paper is to investigate and analyze how RFID technologies can seamlessly tie customer interactions with the food supply chain and revolutionize the accuracy, efficiency, personalization-interaction, and security of foodservice marketing, production, and distribution simultaneously. To achieve this, the paper discusses the RFID implementation issues, practices, and benefits within the foodservice sector. The food industry's perspectives on the adoption and benefits of RFID developments are reported by discussing the results of a reality-check study conducted in the Greek foodservice sector.