Bird's Nest Traceability in Malaysia

Background
Malaysia is well-known for edible bird's nests, which are created by swiftlets using solidified saliva. They are particularly prized in Chinese culture due to their rarity, and supposedly high nutritional value and exquisite flavor. People believe that it promotes good health, especially for the skin. Edible bird's nests are among the most expensive animal products consumed by humans, with an average nest retailing for about US$2,500 per kilogram in Asia.
However, since July 2011, many mercenary businessmen began to make counterfeit and shoddy products by using glue, guano and nitrites that have long been recognized as potent carcinogens. In order to prevent illegal counterfeit, Malaysian bird's nest manufacturers coped with Chainway to establish a traceability management system. This system provides customers with visibility into each production process of bird's nests so that they can be assured.
 
Challenges

• As fake bird's nest products are on a rampage in the market, there emerged a crisis of confidence.

• There is no effective anti-counterfeiting mechanism, so it's hard for consumers to distinguish qualified ones from counterfeit ones.

• There is no unified specification for production and processing, making the management inconvenient and productivity low.

 
Solutions
Chainway PDAs, with RFID technology and UHF anti-counterfeiting tags, play a very important role in establishing the traceability system. At the very beginning of the process, a raw bird's nest is matched with a UHF tag. Then, all of the information about this piece from collection, processing, and transportation to selling can be collected and written into our PDA. The key information (such as, weight, collection site, manufacturer, production date, and product features, etc.) can be simultaneously uploaded to PC terminals. During these procedures, the food inspection staff can, at any time and place, obtain the needed information by easily waving our UHF handheld computer. Customers can also enter the unique code on a package via a computer to be assured of the authenticity of the product.
 
Effects

• It established and improved the traceability system to track bird's nest products. Consumers can input a unique code on the packing bag to inquire information about its raw materials, production processes, import and export and so on and so forth.

• It standardized and monitored the processes of bird's nest production, processing and selling. Key information throughout the whole production process can be recorded into the information system. Then there comes improved productivity and guaranteed quality.

• The establishment of this traceability mechanism allowed enterprises to re-win the trust of the market, to enhance the corporate image and to expand their influences.

 
PDA Configuration
P/N: C5000
Functions: UHF RFID, GPRS