Avery Dennison (NYSE: AVY), a leading global player in materials science and digital identification solutions, has unveiled its AD IdentiFresh™ inlay series, enhancing the integration of RFID technology in fresh food sectors such as bakery, meat, deli, and produce. This innovative inlay series is part of Avery Dennison’s Optica™ Food Solutions. This initiative optimizes real-time inventory visibility, transforming fresh management for food retailers and suppliers to boost operational efficiency, enhance freshness, and minimize waste.
The launch of the AD IdentiFresh™ inlay series signifies a major advancement in RFID technology, following Avery Dennison’s partnerships with notable companies in the food sector, including Walmart and Kroger. The inlays’ proprietary antenna design effectively addresses critical operational challenges in food retail, improving read performance especially among densely stacked items in high-moisture environments such as meat cases.
The AD IdentiFresh™ series leverages Impinj’s M800 series endpoint integrated circuits (ICs). Coupled with the latest Gen2X enhancement, this series significantly boosts readability and speed. The compact inlay form factor seamlessly integrates with existing label formats, facilitating easy adoption into current workflows and labeling systems while minimizing operational disruptions. The AD IdentiFresh™ inlay series supports both in-store and supplier tagging of fresh food items, providing flexibility and scalability for high-volume environments.
Mathieu De Backer, VP, Intelligent Labels Innovation at Avery Dennison, states: “This breakthrough innovation that combines deep material science expertise with optimized RF inlay design unlocks significant value within the food retail industry, enabling reliable use of RFID technology to digitize and automate fresh management from production to point of sale. Through continued collaboration with partners like Impinj, we’re bringing cutting-edge solutions that empower clients operating within a challenging food retail environment.”
George Dyche, VP of endpoint IC products at Impinj, adds: “Everyone wins when food is sold before expiring on store shelves. Impinj remains committed to enhancing RFID performance and accelerating RFID adoption, and we are proud that Avery Dennison selected M800 series ICs to deliver this industry-leading solution. The recently announced Gen2X enhancement will further improve read performance, helping retailers manage inventory with greater accuracy and speed, ultimately saving labor costs and reducing waste.”
Research Highlights Food Waste Opportunities
The increasing adoption of robust RFID tagging solutions directly aligns with the industry’s growing emphasis on enhancing visibility and reducing waste.
Recent research conducted by Avery Dennison illuminates the challenges faced by decision-makers throughout the food supply chain, particularly with perishables. When surveyed, 50% of 3,500 global food retailers and supply chain leaders identified meat as the most challenging category for waste, while 45% pointed to produce, and 28% highlighted baked goods. Over half (51%) acknowledged that inventory management and overstocking significantly contribute to food waste within their operations. The Making the Invisible Visible: Unlocking the Hidden Value of Food Waste to Drive Growth and Profitability report further indicates that the economic cost of food waste across the global supply chain is expected to reach $540 billion by 2026, an increase from $526 billion last year.
