Avery Dennison and Walmart expand RFID use to reduce food waste

Avery Dennison has partnered with Walmart to advance the use of radio-frequency identification (RFID) labels in meat packaging to help track inventory and tackle food waste.

The labels are also to be used in baked goods and deli packaging. According to Avery Dennison, integrating RFID technology into packaging provides data that helps workers stock and organize products efficiently by tracking food freshness.

Julie Vargas, vice president and general manager at Avery Dennison Identification Solutions, says: “Supporting Walmart with first-to-market RFID innovation across multiple fresh food categories underscores our mutual commitment to people and the planet.”

“By giving each item its digital identity, associates instantly know the freshness of the foods they are handling, enabling better inventory management and resulting in less waste.”

The partnership is part of Walmart’s sustainability goals, which aim to reduce food loss and waste intensity by 50% by 2030. 

Streamlining operations

Both companies aim for the RFID technology to make daily operations “smarter and faster.”

Christyn Keef, vice president of Front-End Transformation at Walmart US, says: “We believe technology should make things easier for both our associates and customers. By cutting down on manual work, we’re giving our associates more time to focus on what matters — helping our customers.”

Last year, Avery Dennison partnered with the University of Memphis Automatic Identification Lab, US, to launch the RFID in Parcel exhibit, demonstrating the potential of RFID technology in parcel logistics.

In June, it introduced “the first” RFID label to earn Design for Recyclability recognition from the Association of Plastic Recyclers.