Roll out the big electronic cheese

The first application of radio frequency ID tagging (RFID) in the cheese industry has been trialled at Melton Mowbray-based Long Clawson Dairy.

The firm, which supplies Stilton, paneer and blended cheeses, is trialling hygienically designed reusable RFID tags that are pinned into the cheese for full traceability in the supply chain.

The project began after bosses started looking for a more reliable alternative to cloth tags, said David Walklate, technology translator at the Food Processing Knowledge Transfer Network (KTN).

"They were having problems reading some of the tags after the cheeses had been maturing for months and they wanted something that could be removed after use and used again," he said. The data on the tags, developed by Datascan and Sapcote Engineering, is wiped for re-use after despatch.

Currently 10 tags are being piloted and read with a portable reader. Fixed readers and automated tag application equipment would be considered if a full-scale rollout goes ahead, said Walklate. "This hasn't involved huge costs at the beginning; it can be ramped up in stages."

The project is one of many in the Chiefs (championing innovation between the engineering and food sectors) scheme, which was set up by the KTN and the East Midlands Development Agency to help manufacturers work with local engineering firms and academics to tackle production challenges.