How to Prevent Damage to Perishables and Reduce Food Waste

A Look at Factors That Contribute to Food Waste in Warehouses 

Inadequate temperature management and temperature control issues can lead to spoilage of food products.  Perishables must be stored in the appropriate temperature control zones. Many warehouse management systems do not include temperature control functionality to prevent the loss of food quality and integrity. 

Errors in inventory management such as overstocking and improper product rotation can lead to food waste.  It is important to use a WMS that enables the tracking by lot, vendor or supplier lot, ingredient or component; vat, SKU, UPC, code or customer order.  It is also important to have a WMS that includes the functionality to utilize inventory allocation strategies including first in, first out (FIFO) to track shelf life and ensure proper rotation. 

Lack of proper monitoring of perishable goods is directly related to food waste.  Temperature sensitive goods must be properly and accurately tracked and monitored in terms of environment conditions including temperature.  For example, warehouse operators need to have the functionality to detect temperature- sensitive goods that are improperly placed in areas outside of optimal storage conditions as this may diminish their quality and present a safety issue for human consumption.

Advancements in Cold Chain Technologies 

As technology has evolved, more warehouses are now using Internet of Things (IoT) technologies.  You may be familiar with the “smart” technology concept as it has become popular in consumer technology.  From watches to home appliances, security systems, and much more, today devices can be connected to the Internet to collect, store, and utilize data to improve everyday life.  This is also the case in industrial technologies.  Today IoT-connected sensors facilitate the real time monitoring of environmental conditions including temperature, humidity, and location to aid in the proactive management of inventory issues. 

Data from IoT devices is gathered, analyzed and used to predict and prevent deviations from required conditions to help prevent damage to perishables and help ensure product quality.  RFID tags and sensors can now be embedded in smart packaging to provide real time data about the condition of the contents of the package.  Machine learning algorithms can be used to optimize delivery routes, minimizing transit time as well as exposure to less than desirable conditions. 

Technological advancements are also being used to improve cold chain processing.  Not only are temperature monitors being used, but also artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning-equipped devices (ML) solutions are being adopted.  In addition, robotics, improved packaging for home delivery, and IoT enabled technologies are being used for purposes that include providing real time temperature data for fleets transporting regulated goods.  These IoT devices are positioned in refrigerated units, cold rooms, and refer containers and can provide automated real time alerts to notify WMS users of temperature variations from established thresholds so that rapid action can be taken to prevent spoilage and damage. 

The introduction of AI and ML-equipped devices enhances cold chain monitoring by analyzing data patterns, predicting temperature excursions so that logistics can be optimized to minimize risks.  In addition, innovations in packaging help to maintain temperature consistency and prevent fluctuations during transit. Internet of Things (IoT) can provide real time data regarding environmental factors, including temperature and humidity, and produce better monitoring of product conditions and provide alerts and notifications. 

The use of cloud computing technology facilitates real time access to data and analysis.  This improves the visibility of perishables throughout the cold chain and can aid in optimizing logistics.  Today, centralized monitoring solutions can integrate data from a variety of sources and provide a comprehensive view of the cold chain to facilitate better decision making.

Integrating with Advanced Cold Chain Technologies

One of the significant challenges in serving the cold chain logistics audience is that companies using legacy WMS often find it challenging and costly to integrate with the latest innovative technologies. 

Here are some of the reasons why legacy warehouse management systems often face difficulties integrating with the latest technologies: 

Many legacy warehouse management systems were built on monolithic architecture, making the software inflexible and rigid.  Integrating new technologies that require modular scalable solutions does not pair well with these rigid systems.  Legacy systems often rely on programming languages and frameworks that are outdated or no longer supported.  This is incompatible with modern IoT technologies. 

Another issue commonly found with legacy warehouse management systems is that of a lack of support for modern APIs, essential for integrating with IoT devices.  In addition, legacy WMS may use proprietary communication protocols that are incompatible with the new open, standard protocols used by IoT devices. 

IoT sensors provide large volumes of data.  For legacy WMS, this can be problematic.  Legacy warehouse management solutions often silo data. This can make it challenging to integrate and share information across different platforms and devices. 

Legacy WMS tend to lack modern security features needed to protect against cybersecurity threats.  Integrating modern technologies with legacy warehouse management systems may introduce vulnerabilities and put the entire system at risk for cyberattacks. 

With all that said, the cost of upgrading or modifying legacy WMS to support the latest technologies may prove both cost-prohibitive and labor intensive.  The rigidity of the legacy WMS and lack of scalability may prove overwhelming for the increased data load and processing requirements of new technologies including IoT. 

Temperature Monitoring  

With functionality designed for temperature-controlled environments, Footprint WMS can restrict inventory to specific temperature zones and store inventory in primary or secondary locations.  Alerts can be enabled for temperature requirement tracking. 

Quality Assurance/Quality Control Inspections 

Footprint WMS handles inspections, quarantines, holds, and multi-simultaneous holds. 

Inventory Management and Inventory Control Features

With our complete immutable audit trail, Footprint WMS maintains a comprehensive, detailed history of every material movement.  Users can use our system to track and trace by lot, vendor or supplier lot, ingredient or component; vat, SKU, UPC, code or customer order.   

If you are looking for backward lot traceability, you have come to the right place!  Our WMS helps ensure streamlined recalls to prevent unaffected goods from being included in the recall process. 

Footprint WMS provides lot control functionality as well as expiration date tracking.  In addition, our warehouse management software supports multiple allocation strategies including:

• LEFO 
• LMFO 
• And more