Traceability System for Agricultural Products using RF-ID and Mobile Devices

1
Traceability System for Agricultural Products
using RF-ID and Mobile Devices
July 5, 2004

• Koji SUGAHARA
• Dept. of Information Science and Technology
• National Agricultural Research Center, Japan

2
Background of the development

• Food safety problems in Japan
• BSE (beef), Residual pesticide (vegetable),
  Deceptive labeling of food products, ...
• More consumers have been interested in food
  safety.
• Establishing food traceability
• Needs to improve reliability of food production
  and distribution processes
• Risk management in the accidents on food products
• Development of food traceability systems
• Urgent national projects by the government (MAFF)

3
Virtually Identified Produce System (VIPS)A
basic scheme of web-based traceability
systemNational Food Research Institute
4
SEICA
5
Integrated traceability system for agricultural
products

• Production process management system
• On-site data input using mobile phone and PDA
• Easy input method to select the item menus
• Distribution process management system
• Correct identification of product lots based on
  RF-ID
• Relationship of lot ID in dividing and mixing
  lots
• Web-based remote database system -- VIPS
• Product information disclosure system
• Displaying each products data to consumers -
  VIPS
• Utilizing ID labels, barcodes, and RF-ID tags

6
Production process management system for
agriculture, AFAMAJAITEA and NARC
http//www.afama.ne.jp/
Displays on a mobile phone(on-site inputting)
Inputting records about farm works and
agro-material applications(pesticides,
fertilizers, machines, ..)
A display on a PC browser(inputting the
schedules)
7
GIS-based farm diary systemAvailable for using
PDA and PChttp//riss.narc.affrc.go.jp/resources.
html
For PDA
For PC
Input
Farm field map
Diary data display
8
Integrated traceability system using
RF-IDLinking different DBs based on product ID
of RF-ID tags
Farmers, carriers, retailers, and consumers can
refer each products production and distribution
data.
Linkage based on product ID
Production Process DB
Distribution Process DB
Production data
Distribution data
RF-ID
9
A case of the system experiments

• Fruit traceability system project
• By Yamagata Prefectural Government, since 2003
• Items Pear (Nov.), Strawberry (Feb.), Cherry
  (Jun.)
• Cooperative partnershipFarmers, a wholesale
  market, a co-op store, and consumers in Yamagata
  Prefecture
• For sales at the storeInternet-connected
  terminals(PC) with RF-ID readers
• For home delivery Pasting 2D-barcode URL
  labels to the productsBrowsing with
  web-accessible mobile phones or PC

10
Inputting the production data by a farmerBy
accessing AFAMA with a mobile phone
Mobile phone
11
RF-ID tag (barcode label), and RF-ID
readerRecording each products data on the
distribution process
m-chip by Hitachi Ltd.Each of these chips has
unique ID.
RF-ID chip and tag coated with PET
PDA connecting RF-ID reader
2D-barcode URL printed label
The barcode codes the same URL string.
12
A RF-ID reader and a tag attached to a
boxRecording relationship of the fruit lot ID
and the box ID in box packing of pear fruits
RF-ID tag
13
Shipping strawberries from the marketAttaching
RF-ID tags to the boxes, URL labels to the packs.
RF-ID tag
Each products web page for consumers
14
Subjects of development

• Identification of product lots
• Making relationship of lot ID in dividing or
  mixing lots
• Automation system to attach and read RF-ID tags
• More efficient data input on each of fields and
  crops
• Linkage among different databases
• Distributed DBs and data exchange systems
• Web service to refer products data among the DBs
• Effective application of RF-ID
• Reducing the operational costs
• RAM type --gt Reuse of boxes and attached RF-ID
  tags
• Improving efficiency to check products ID and
  data
• ROM type --gt Faster reading ID and recording to
  the DB