Walmart Expands RFID Technology to Fresh Food Categories

Walmart is extending its use of radio frequency identification (RFID) technology to fresh food departments — including meat, deli, and bakery — marking the next step in its ongoing digital transformation.

Working with Avery Dennison, Walmart has developed RFID tags designed to function in cold and humid environments such as refrigerated cases and backroom storage. These new tags allow individual food items to carry a unique digital identity, tracking information like expiration dates, storage conditions, and product movement.

This advancement enables store employees to better monitor inventory, quickly locate items that are nearing expiration, and reduce food waste through timely markdowns and restocking.

According to Walmart, implementing RFID in fresh categories supports its broader sustainability goals — specifically, cutting global food waste and loss in half by 2030.

While RFID is already widely used in apparel and general merchandise, expanding it to perishable products represents a major technological leap. It demonstrates how data-driven inventory management can improve both operational efficiency and environmental responsibility in the grocery sector.