RFID technology tested by Chipotle to improve food traceability

Article of how Chipotle is testing radio-frequency identification technology at its Chicago distribution center and about 200 restaurants in the Greater Chicago region to improve its traceability and inventory systems.

The following article was posted by: Julie Littman on RestaurantDive.com Titled: Chipotle tests RFID technology to improve food traceability
URL: https://www.restaurantdive.com/news/chipotle-tests-rfid-technology-to-improve-food-traceability/621340/
Article Posted: March 31, 2022

The key take-aways from the article are as follows:

• RFID is an acronym for 'radio-frequency identification' and refers to a technology whereby digital data encoded in RFID tags or smart labels - FDA Website Details
• Chipotle is testing radio-frequency identification technology at its Chicago distribution center and about 200 restaurants in the Greater Chicago region to improve its traceability and inventory
• The fast causal chain partnered with Auburn University RFID Lab to develop the test
• The RFID labels will be used on meat, dairy, and avocados from five Chipotle suppliers.
• Ingredients being tested will have RFID enabled case labels that are scanned with RFID readers, which complement existing scanners in restaurants.
• This RFID technology, which will be used to trace food from suppliers to restaurants using serialization, is part of the company's ongoing commitment to improved food safety and quality.
• The traceability system is designed to allow Chipotle to respond to food safety and quality concerns more efficiently.

Costmenu can help restaurant owners address the concerns noted above as we provide the following solutions:

By tracking detailed ingredient lists and recipes urgent changes can be made.

Costmenu allows users to track detailed lists of food items and ingredients thus users can quickly identify any recalled items if they arise. In the event users have multiple locations it will prove effective and efficient to quickly assess what ingredient may need to be replaced and how it can affect the menu. Detailed reports and visual graphs allow users to quickly identify food usage and where those would need to change.

Monitor your vendor and food purveyors.

Costmenu allows its users to maintain purchase records and sort food items and purchase amounts from vendors so that they can quickly determine how effective or fairly you are being serviced. By using Costmenu, users can monitor their purchases and the costs associated with them and if those vendors are keeping you up to date on any issues. Costmenu users can rate the service of each purchase order and that rating has the ability to be subjective to what is important to the user such as rapid responses to food issues if they arise.

Have the ability to share data on other systems.

Because there are more and more systems and platforms available to food service industries for inventory tracking to pricing and more, it is vital that your system have API capability or the ability to share data and information with other systems. Costmenu does just that with easy export features off all the information and data thus if the information is already inputted into the system it can be easily used with other systems linked to RFID sources.

About Costmenu:Costmenu is a food/menu/recipe costing software that offer many advantages over excel spreadsheets and other inventory management programs. Costmenu integrates a powerful dashboard, food, prepared, and menu item costing features, menu building features, custom qr code label makers, document storage, event/catering management features, data security, performance measurement, data analysis and comparisons, CRM, and generation of various reports. For more information on Costmenu, visit https://costmenu.com, email sales@costmenu.com, or phone (949) 274-4814.