RFID‐enabled traceability in the food supply chain

Purpose – This paper aims to study the main requirements of traceability and examine how the technology of radio frequency identification (RFID) technology can address these requirements. It further seeks to outline both an information data model and a system architecture that will make traceability feasible and easily deployable across a supply chain. Design/methodology/approach – The design research approach is followed, associating traceability requirements to a proposed system design. Findings – The technological approach used has great implications in relation to the cost associated with a traceability system and the ease of its deployment. Research limitations/implications – Validation of the proposed information data model and system architecture is required through practical deployment in different settings. Practical implications – The paper provides practitioners with insight on how RFID technology can meet traceability requirements and what technological approach is more appropriate. Originality/value – Food quality has become an important issue in the last decade. However, achieving end‐to‐end traceability across the supply chain is currently quite a challenge from a technical, a co‐ordination and a cost perspective. The paper contributes by suggesting a specific technological approach, exploiting the new possibilities provided by RFID technology, to address these issues.