Exploring the Wearable Technology Use Cases in Food Production

Introducing wearable devices to the food and drink manufacturing process could effectively enhance production across the whole of the supply chain.

FREMONT, CA: Whether it is smartwatches or smart gloves, wearable devices are innovation-making technology. Wearable devices can help manufacturers save time and enhance productivity and safety standards in the workplace. The manufacturing floor can become smarter and more connected, with companies investing in wearable devices to give them a competitive edge. Introducing these devices to the food and drink manufacturing process could drastically improve production across the supply chain. Know more here.

Food production comes with wash-down environments, meaning utmost care is needed to avoid any food contaminants, and food handlers are not allowed to wear jewelry or watches. Some of these cannot be compromised with wearable devices. Still, they can be used to greatly affect some other areas of food production, like the supply chain, for monitoring food hygiene, and in improving safety standards. Wearable devices with in-built cameras can help quality control staff to monitor hygiene standards. Workers can also use wearables to identify hot surfaces, machinery malfunction, and spilled fluids, helping avoid hazards in the workplace.

Workers in food production units contact food before, during, and after processing or need handling raw foodstuffs, which are high-risk of contaminants. Therefore, hygiene issues must be tackled immediately to prevent contamination of food items, recalls, loss of revenue, and reputation damage. The wearables enhance safety, and employee health can be monitored in real-time. Employees can monitor their health and share data with the company directly, avoiding the spread of microbes.

In the food production factory, body temperature-monitoring coupled with facial recognition and other biometric identification can pick up illness indicators, like high temperatures. In addition to helping with hygiene and contamination issues, wearables also enable manufacturers to save time and enhance productivity and safety standards. The food manufacturing floor has become smarter and more connected, with firms investing in innovations to give them a competitive edge. Introducing smart wearable devices to the food and drink manufacturing process could greatly improve production across the entire supply chain.