Technology is Bringing You Fresher Fruits and Veggies

Transporting perishable goods like produce has always been a source of supply chain challenges. Retailers want the freshest possible product on shelves, and logistics companies need to make sure it’s protected against the elements between grower and grocery store.

I recently read about a new system that aims to improve this process by offering real-time visibility into the status and temperature of fresh produce while it’s in transit.

The SmartTraxx Go is a disposable sensor the shipper puts inside a refrigerated vehicle along with the load. It uses a rooftop GPS/communications module to publish location and temperature data to the cloud, and if the load gets behind schedule or the temperature fluctuates too much, all parties are notified immediately so they can take action to protect the contents.

This little change seems like a win for everyone:

• Fresher produce at market should lead to more profit for growers and retailers
• Ongoing communications means less administration for the logistics provider
• Less administration of logistics schedules
• The cloud-based historical data will simplify settlement of disputes about spoilage

Yet another example of how the Internet of Things and the real-time information it enables don’t have to rely on big changes to have big impact on existing business.