Can you imagine tiny radio frequency identification (RFID) tags that are edible and could automate the entire process for every single piece of food that we consume?

They can track the whereabouts of pets, so why not edible RFID tags embedded in food? That’s the idea behind a tracking system concept called NutriSmart, which is similar to an idea Kodak came up with years ago, but takes RFID tracking beyond the production facility. RFID tags are antennas without batteries or circuitry. When brought near an RFID reader, they passively transmit a simple code that can be used as an identifier. The tags are simple and can be made small enough so that if you eat one, stomach acid would naturally break it down into a tiny amount of silver that's less than what’s found in tap water.

The NutriSmart concept for a food tracking system uses RFID tags embedded in food along with a special plate that scans everything you eat to track nutrition and food allergies as well as provide a little extra information on just what exactly it is that you're eating.

Hannes Harms, the design engineering student at the Royal College of Art in London, came up with the device, which he envisions can track food through the entire supply chain. Edible tags could interface with a refrigerator to warn consumers of items about to expire or interact with ovens and other applications.

Source: www.dvice.com, www.medgaget.com