Retail giant Walmart and materials-science and identification specialist Avery Dennison have announced a landmark collaboration aimed at deploying advanced radio-frequency identification (RFID) solutions in fresh-food categories including meat, bakery and deli.
The initiative tackles a longstanding industry challenge: applying RFID in high-moisture, cold-case environments. By creating sensor-enabled RFID labels that can operate reliably in refrigerated and wet conditions, the partners are enabling item-level tracking of fresh-food inventory for the first time.
With this technology, store associates at Walmart will be able to access digital use-by dates, monitor freshness and optimise product rotation with greater speed and accuracy. The ability to track each item’s digital identity means fewer manual tasks and smarter markdown decisions, which in turn helps reduce food waste and improve operational efficiency.
Julie Vargas, Vice-President and General Manager of Avery Dennison Identification Solutions, described the work as “first-to-market RFID innovation across multiple fresh-food categories” and emphasised the mutual commitment of both companies to people and the planet. Christyn Keef, Vice-President of Front End Transformation for Walmart U.S., added that the goal is to make technology work for associates and customers by reducing manual labour and allowing more focus on service.
From a strategic perspective the collaboration aligns with Walmart’s broader sustainability objective of halving global operational food loss and waste intensity by 2030. By enabling automated item-level identification in fresh departments the retailer is integrating a new generation of supply-chain intelligence into its store operations.
For Avery Dennison this development reinforces its position in the digital-identification domain by applying its Optica™ solutions portfolio to a complex and demanding environment. The move signals the expansion of RFID from apparel and general retail into high-moisture food segments.
Despite the promise there are implementation challenges ahead. Cold-chain conditions present unique demands for tag durability, readability and attachment methods. Store-floor workflows will need to adapt to integrate item-level data into associate tasks. And store systems will need to ingest and act upon fresh-food data in real time. Still the benefits are compelling: improved freshness perception for shoppers, reduced waste and tighter inventory control.
In conclusion this collaboration between Walmart and Avery Dennison marks a significant step in the evolution of retail food-technology. By bringing RFID into fresh food departments at scale the partners are raising the bar for traceability, stock management and sustainability in grocery retail. As item-level digital identities become embedded in meat, bakery and deli segments we may be witnessing a new era in store-operation intelligence.
See Avery Dennison Press Release