‘Internet of Things’: Enhancing Food Quality, Hygiene and Shelf Life

Are you concerned about the quality of food you have been consuming? Media is stuffed with news about how toxicity has been affecting food in the course of transportation from farms to your kitchen. Reports of rampant food poisoning have added the grim quotient to this problem. ‘Internet of Things (IoT)’ is the most contemporary of online advances that has been blending cloud computing and wireless technology to make your kitchen safer.

How is your food imperiled?Why your food gets contaminated in transit and storage? Contamination is primarily attributed to temperature variations. Inadequate temperature fosters the growth of life threatening bacteria in food which causes poisoning.

The shelf life of food products is greatly affected by ambient temperature levels. It has been observed that berries when subjected to uncomfortably high temperatures for a single day experience a loss of one day’s shelf life.

How IoT chips in?IoT enables food and transportation agencies to monitor the refrigeration temperatures of containers in real time during transit so that needful temperature tweaks can be done remotely to save perishable items from getting damaged. Specialized temperature sensors when installed in containers would periodically capture and wirelessly transmit core and ambient temperatures during the journey to company offices so that any irregularity can be tracked down and rectified immediately.

So, if the refrigeration systems deviate from the planned course of operation, accurate data is relayed to warn the transport company reps. Sensors can be programmed for sending alerts to the handheld mobile devices of shippers so that they can initiate expeditious actions. So, the prospect of food getting ruined during transit is eliminated conclusively.

IoT can accomplish better collaboration among multifarious components that constitute the artificial food chain. Sensors can be deployed at strategic checkpoints in the processing industries to ensure that the food’s quality has not been compromised during processing and refinement. IoTs role in controlling temperatures during transit has been discussed earlier. Restaurants and food outlets can check with sensor data to predict correctly the arrival of food for delivery on time. After arrival, IoT sensors can provide useful data pertaining to the hygiene levels of the food. All the aforesaid processes work in strategic coordination to ensure that quality and safety of food is maintained infallibly.

IoT is not a futuristic technology. It has already invaded the market to make your diet healthier and nutrient laden. Companies are busy contriving newer ways to exploit the limitless potential of IoT to make our life fulfilled, healthier and safer.