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The food and beverage industry is undergoing a technological revolution that promises to change not only how products are produced and distributed. How we interact with them.
And at the heart of this transformation is smart packaging, an emerging technology that improves safety, freshness and product information, while offering new opportunities for communication between brands and professional consumers.
What is smart packaging and how does it work?
Smart packaging is packaging with technology that allows it to collect, process and transmit data about the packaged product and the data may include information such as temperature, humidity, tilt, vibration, presence of gases and freshness of the product.
The technology used in this smart packaging is differentIncluding temperature and humidity sensors, RFID tags, QR and NFC codes, and smart ink printing technology, this data is sent to cloud monitoring platforms via wireless networks such as Bluetooth or Wi-Fi. Valuable information for different actors in the supply chain.
Benefits of Smart Packaging in Food Industry
Implementing smart packaging in the food industry offers a range of benefits that positively impact the entire value chain:
To Producers:
- Improving traceability and quality control: It allows detailed tracking of the product from its origin to the end consumer, identifying possible deviations in the supply chain that could affect the quality of the product.
- Optimizing logistics and distribution: It simplifies cargo management, reduces shrinkage and waste and optimizes transport routes, ensuring optimal conditions for the product throughout the journey.
- To reduce costs and increase efficiency: Process automation and data-driven decision-making can reduce operating costs and improve efficiency throughout the supply chain.
For retailers:
- To improve inventory management: It allows you to know the status of stock items in real time, reducing breakages and losses and improving product turnaround.
- To improve customer experience: Provides accurate information on product freshness and quality, increases customer satisfaction and reduces returns.
- Strengthens brand image: It demonstrates the company's commitment to quality, food safety and sustainability.
For consumers
- Greater food security: Ensures product freshness and quality and reduces the risk of foodborne illness.
- Disclosure Information: It provides detailed information on the product's origin, composition and properties, empowering consumers to make informed decisions.
- Personalized consumer experiences: Allows access to product-related recipes, promotions and exclusive content, enhancing the consumer experience.
In addition, smart packaging technology is already being used by various companies in the food industry to improve their operations and provide more value to customers, some examples include:
- Smart Tags: They adhere to the product and monitor temperature, humidity and other indicators during transportation and storage, warning of possible changes that could affect the quality of the product.
- Smart Hats: They detect the opening of the container and record the date and time, providing valuable information about the useful life of the product and consumption habits.
- Smart Bottles: They incorporate sensors that measure the level of remaining liquid and send notifications to the consumer when a refill is required.
- Packaging with Augmented Reality: They allow consumers to scan packaging to access additional product information, recipes, advertisements and interactive content.
For this reason, smart packaging is revolutionizing the food industry, offering an innovative solution to improve food safety, improve supply chains, reduce shrinkage and waste, and strengthen the relationship between companies and consumers.
