Labeling and sensor technology is available to smooth and coordinate the transfer of data in the cold chain, but a lot of service providers have yet to take full advantage of it, says Julie Vargas, vice president and general manager with Avery Dennison.

Producers of fresh and frozen products have a particular challenge in ensuring that they get orders to customers at the right time, place and temperature. At the same time, food companies are in great need of a way to cut down on waste, which is costing the industry an estimated $540 billion annually. These heretofore “acceptable losses” are anything but acceptable in the temperature-controlled supply chain. “The cold chain has the hardest time making sure they waste the least,” Vargas says.

The last mile is becoming an area of particular focus, in response to growing consumer demand for home delivery of grocery items. Trying to manage that highly sensitive chain without an automated means of collecting and transmitting data makes the process even more difficult than it has to be.

Solutions start with the data, which must be timely and accurate. There are plenty of options for including that information in tags, Vargas says, but even more exciting is the ability to integrate sensors right into packaging. Radio frequency identification coupled with the internet of things provides visibility at the pallet, box and item level.

Still, the industry has been slow to adopt the necessary technology. A major sign of progress came in the form of announcements by Kroger and Walmart that they would be implementing systems for monitoring goods at the item level. But many companies are still lagging in achieving total visibility, all the way to the consumer’s door.

Gaps in information still exist, “and sometimes we don’t even know it,” Vargas says. Companies must figure out how to move data across multiple supply chain partners in a timely fashion. But she sees huge opportunities for improvement with the adoption of agentic artificial intelligence.