https://www.eelinktech.com/temperature-gps-tracker-products/ The Importance of the Remote Temperature Monitor

1. The Importance of the Remote Temperature Monitor
New technologies continue to provide new opportunities and innovative
solutions. One of the most important new solutions to time-temperature abuse of
perishable foods is the remote temperature sensor.
Time-temperature abuse is the concept that perishable foods are only safe and
edible if they are kept at a specific temperature during storage, transit, delivery,
and final handling. As the food supply has become global with highly perishable
foods, like fish, meats, and some vegetables, being delivered to the other side of
the globe, the time that food may be warmer than recommended must be
controlled.
Global Shipping Needs Global Solutions
Historically, all foods were preserved if they were to be eatenany time after a
few days of harvesting. Meats were often smoked, dried, salted, or pickled. Fruits
and vegetables were preserved using similar techniques.
The advent of refrigeration, both in shipping and the home, changed
everything. Fresh foods could be transported and stored so they could be
delivered far from their origins. Even frozen foods make eating nutritious
vegetables easier.
Transportation is fast enough that we can send fresh foods thousands of miles,
often around the globe, in just a few days.
Since the refrigeration is the key to keeping the foods safe, guaranteeing that
it’s kept at the right temperature is vital. The answer to that is remote
temperature sensing.
Trust but Verify
Every day, whether we are buying food for our family or for an entire army, we
trust that the people who brought food to us have been tracking the
temperature every step of the way.

2. With devices, such as wi-fi, cellular phone, GPS, or Bluetooth temperature
sensors, we can now do more than hope.
The concept is simple, but it required the right technology to make it happen. A
remote temperature sensor is placed into a shipping container, box, or bag. The
device senses the temperature at all times. It also tracks its location via GPS and
can be made to track other data as well. The data is delivered using wi-fi or
cellular technology to a site online. The user can then log into the site and see
both the temperature and the location of their products.
The information can be stored for later analysis. This is type of data that would
be vital to have in case of alleged food poisoning from spoiled foods.
The Consequences of Lax Time-Temperature Controls
Foodborne Illness
It is estimated that foodborne illnesses annually cost more than $50 billion in the
United States and cause more than 120,000 hospitalizations and 3000 deaths
(Scharff2012; CDC 2016).1
Foodborne illness is something most people have experienced, but it’s nearly
impossible to prove unless there is a large scale. For the individual, most of these
illnesses cause high fevers, vomiting, diarrhea, cramps, and more. Death is a
definite possibility. The vast majority of these illnesses can be prevented by
keeping the food cold the entire time from harvest to preparation.
Food Waste
The United Nations estimates that each year approximately 1/3 of all food
produced for human consumption is wasted, while other reports indicate that
food waste accounts for 40% of production (FAO 2011; NRDC 2012).1
The annual economic impact of food waste is estimated at $218 billion in the
U.S., $143 billion in Europe, and $27 billion in Canada (Young 2012; ReFED2015;
FUSIONS 2016).1

3. Consider that we waste 40% of all food produced for human consumption how
much easier it would be to feed everyone if we didn’t have to throw out food
because it had gone bad.
Vigilance as a Marketing Tool
Some companies have caught onto the idea that displaying their violence
against time-temperature abuse is a great marketing tool. Television
commercials showing the tracking system have shown up that tout the
importance of knowing exactly what happened to every box of food.
For those companies that have a concern about foodborne illness, which is, in
reality, every company that grows, ships, or sells food, remote temperature
sensing is a welcomed new technology. The ability to look customers in the eye
and say, “I can guarantee that that piece of fish was kept at safe temperatures
from the ocean to your plate,” will go a long way to winning brand loyalty from
consumers.
The Other Bottom Line
The costs of foodborne illnesses listed above don’t discuss the millions of dollars
that are paid out to consumers and employees to thwart lawsuits. Very few
lawsuits make it to court, but it can be very expensive to keep them out of court.
The Chipotle Restaurant chain has had over a half dozen documented
outbreaks in the past 15 years. In one case in Ohio, over 400 people got sick. If
each of those people is just awarded medical expenses, it can easily reach into
the millions. That doesn’t begin to account for the punitive damages that a jury
would give to victims. There is no public record of how Chipotle handle the
situation, but many victims stated that they intended to sue.
An Elegantly Simple Answer
Wireless temperature sensors are a simple, elegant solution to a problem. When
a device is tossed into a box or a shipping container, it can help to guarantee
that the food that arrives that other end is safe. A complete record of the
temperature and the journey can ensure food safety and avoid embarrassing
headlines.

4. All of this technology can be had in both off the shelf and custom solutions.
Since every vendor has different needs, remote temperature sensors can be
adapted to use, packaging, and destination.