Avery Dennison has launched its AD IdentiFresh RFID inlay series, extending the use of radio frequency identification technology across fresh food categories including bakery, meat, deli and produce. The development strengthens packaging and labelling systems used in temperature-controlled retail environments, where accurate identification and inventory visibility are critical to reducing shrink and waste.
The inlay series forms part of Avery Dennison’s Optica Food Solutions portfolio and is engineered to address read-performance challenges commonly found in fresh food retail. The company states that its proprietary antenna design and inlay construction improve performance for densely stacked products and in high-moisture, refrigerated conditions such as meat cases.
AD IdentiFresh inlays integrate endpoint integrated circuits from Impinj’s M800 series. Combined with the Gen2X enhancement, the solution is designed to improve readability and data capture speed across fresh food supply chains. The compact inlay format fits within existing label constructions, enabling converters and retailers to incorporate RFID into current packaging lines and labelling workflows without significant equipment changes. The system supports both supplier-side and in-store tagging, allowing scalability across high-volume fresh operations.
Mathieu De Backer, VP, Intelligent Labels Innovation at Avery Dennison, said the innovation combines material science and RF design to enable more reliable RFID deployment in fresh management. George Dyche, VP of endpoint IC product at Impinj, noted that improved RFID performance supports more accurate inventory control and waste reduction.
Research commissioned by Avery Dennison found that 50 percent of surveyed retailers identified meat as the most difficult category for waste, followed by produce (45 percent) and baked goods (28 percent). Independent modelling forecasts global food waste costs will reach $540 billion by 2026.