1. July 5, 2004
Traceability System for Agricultural Products using RF-ID and Mobile Devices
Koji SUGAHARA
Dept. of Information Science and Technology
National Agricultural Research Center, Japan

2. Background of the development
Food safety problems in Japan
BSE (beef), Residual pesticide (vegetable), Deceptive labeling of food products, ...
More consumers have been interested in food safety.
Establishing food traceability
Needs to improve reliability of food production and distribution processes
Risk management in the accidents on food products
Development of food traceability systems
Urgent national projects by the government (MAFF)

3. Virtually Identified Produce System (VIPS) A basic scheme of web-based traceability system National Food Research Institute

4. SEICA

5. Integrated traceability system for agricultural products
Production process management system
On-site data input using mobile phone and PDA
Easy input method to select the item menus
Distribution process management system
Correct identification of product lots based on RF-ID
Relationship of lot ID in dividing and mixing lots
Web-based remote database system -- VIPS
Product information disclosure system
Displaying each product’s data to consumers - VIPS
Utilizing ID labels, barcodes, and RF-ID tags

6. Displays on a mobile phone (on-site inputting)
Inputting records about farm works and agro-material applications (pesticides, fertilizers, machines, ..)
A display on a PC browser (inputting the schedules)
Production process management system for agriculture, “AFAMA” JAITEA and NARC

7. For PDA
For PC
Input
Diary data display
Farm field map
GIS-based farm diary system Available for using PDA and PC

8. Farmers, carriers, retailers, and consumers can refer each product’s production and distribution data.
Linkage based on product ID
Production Process DB
Distribution Process DB
Production data
Distribution data
RF-ID
Farm
Home
cultivation
harvest
shipping
transporting
sorting
delivery
sales
Integrated traceability system using RF-ID Linking different DBs based on product ID of RF-ID tags

9. A case of the system experiments
Fruit traceability system project
By Yamagata Prefectural Government, since 2003
Items: Pear (Nov.), Strawberry (Feb.), Cherry (Jun.)
Cooperative partnership Farmers, a wholesale market, a co-op store, and consumers in Yamagata Prefecture
For sales at the store Internet-connected terminals(PC) with RF-ID readers
For home delivery　 Pasting 2D-barcode & URL labels to the products Browsing with web-accessible mobile phones or PC

10. Mobile phone
Inputting the production data by a farmer By accessing “AFAMA” with a mobile phone

11. “m-chip” by Hitachi Ltd. Each of these chips has unique ID.
RF-ID chip and tag coated with PET
PDA & connecting RF-ID reader
2D-barcode & URL printed label
The barcode codes the same URL string.
RF-ID tag (barcode label), and RF-ID reader Recording each product’s data on the distribution process

12. RF-ID tag
A RF-ID reader and a tag attached to a box Recording relationship of the fruit lot ID and the box ID in box packing of pear fruits

13. Each product’s web page for consumers
RF-ID tag
Each product’s web page for consumers
Shipping strawberries from the market Attaching RF-ID tags to the boxes, URL labels to the packs.

14. Subjects of development
Identification of product lots
Making relationship of lot ID in dividing or mixing lots
Automation system to attach and read RF-ID tags
More efficient data input on each of fields and crops
Linkage among different databases
Distributed DBs and data exchange systems
Web service to refer products’ data among the DBs
Effective application of RF-ID
Reducing the operational costs
RAM type --> Reuse of boxes and attached RF-ID tags
Improving efficiency to check products’ ID and data
ROM type --> Faster reading ID and recording to the DB