French RFID tag maker Tageos has introduced an inlay for tracking goods at fast-food outlets.

The EOS-450 U9 Rain RFID inlay uses NXP’s UCode 9 IC and has been tailored to meet the operational needs of fast-food outlets. It is approved for Arc Spec Z and, alongside its sibling EOS-480, is said to be the smallest product in this category.

Designed to provide support for ongoing food safety, inventory management and order accuracy, the inlay has been further developed to help restaurants manage kitchen workflows and product traceability more effectively.

Stricter regulations for food traceability are demanded by global supply chains. RFID-enabled food labels can contain detailed data such as product origin, production date and processing details, enabling real-time updates throughout the supply chain. RFID inlays and tags help increase food safety by improving supply chain transparency and automating the collection of traceability data. Easy, real-time access to information such as expiration dates also makes RFID helpful for reducing food waste by simplifying first-in, first-out inventory management, thereby reducing unnecessary waste and cutting product and operating costs.

In addition, the inlay offers readability at the case level for fast-food applications and can be used in food retail and logistics.

In response to customer requests, Tageos has developed the original product, resulting in an updated antenna design that improves manufacturability and integration. NXP’s UCode 9 IC enables long read ranges and the fast inventory of dense RFID tag populations. UCode 9 also features 96bit EPC; kill password; EPC and kill password permalock; self-adjusting impedance; and memory integrity safeguards.

Use cases include:

• Inventory management: Track perishable goods and manage expiration dates more accurately, as well as providing more precise order forecasting ability.
• Food traceability: Support regulatory compliance and enable faster response to potential recalls.
• Kitchen efficiency: Monitor product flow from storage to prep line with minimal manual effort.

“We’re bringing more powerful RFID tagging technology and performance to environments where speed, accuracy and traceability are required,” said Jeremy Wade, vice president at Tageos (www.tageos.com). “The speed of development and the high quality and reliability of our products support foodservice businesses, for example, to modernise their operations, and quickly and efficiently meet today’s safety and efficiency standards.”

Ralf Kodritsch, senior director at NXP (www.nxp.com), added that fast-food outlets operated in fast-paced environments, where efficiency was essential to meet high customer demand and operational challenges.

“With our high-performance UCode 9 IC, the new EOS-450 U9 provides a powerful tool for optimising back-of-house operations, ensuring food traceability, reducing waste and swiftly implementing the latest requirements,” he said. “It’s excellent for an industry in transformation.”

The EOS-450 U9 is available in dry, wet and paper-face formats. Datasheets are available on the Tageos online product selector tool (www.tageos.com/en/products-services/product-selector/code/4500000031,4500000032,4500000033.html) and samples can be requested via the Tageos sales team (www.tageos.com/en/get-in-touch/sales-team.html).