Powercast is revolutionizing supply chain tracking with RAIN RFID technology, embedding smart sensors for real-time monitoring of perishable goods and integrating LED-enabled tags for rapid product location. Beyond compliance with new FDA regulations, Powercast’s innovations enhance efficiency, security, safety, and sustainability—reshaping retail, logistics, and everyday smart applications through wireless power solutions.
PITTSBURGH, March 24, 2025 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ — Last year, the U.S. saw a staggering 25% increase in foodborne illnesses and a more than twofold rise in hospitalizations. (1) This alarming trend has fueled the FDA’s upcoming Food Traceability Final Rule, which mandates end-to-end traceability for high-risk foods—similar to the EU’s Digital Product Passport (DPP), which enhances transparency across product lifecycles. (2-3) “The industry is at a turning point: traditional tracking methods—such as manual barcode scanning and static QR codes—fall short of delivering the real-time, scalable solutions needed for both compliance and operational efficiency,” explains Charles Greene, COO & CTO of Powercast Corporation, a leader in wireless power solutions. “That’s why we are powering the next generation of RAIN RFID devices—to drive smarter supply chains capable of locating live shipments, tracking the state of perishable goods, enabling anti-counterfeiting security measures and more.”
“We are powering the next generation of RAIN RFID devices—to drive smarter supply chains capable of locating live shipments, tracking the state of perishable goods, enabling anti-counterfeiting security measures and more.” — Charles Greene, COO & CTO of Powercast Corporation
Supply Chain: Smarter Tracking with Embedded Sensors
RAIN RFID technology is becoming a cornerstone of modern supply chain automation. Unlike traditional optical tracking methods—such as barcode or QR code scanning, which provide static data and require line-of-sight—RAIN systems offer real-time, automated visibility. This is especially crucial in dynamic environments where continuous monitoring is essential.
Powercast is enhancing RAIN capabilities by:
Embedding data-rich sensors to provide instant insights into product conditions. This not only tracks the location of stock but also monitors critical environmental factors affecting perishable goods, including temperature, humidity, and movement.The Find-Tag feature integrates LED indicators into RAIN tags, enabling workers to quickly locate shipments—such as contaminated goods requiring immediate removal. This is particularly critical as 2024 has witnessed a surge in E. coli outbreaks, with major brands such as McDonald’s and Grimmway Farms facing food poisoning lawsuits. These incidents underscore weaknesses in food safety regulations and traceability systems. (3-5)
“We are thinking beyond identification,” states Greene. “Our goal is to provide deeper supply chain visibility, ensuring product safety and operational efficiency.”
In addition to food safety, RAIN technology enhances inventory accuracy, reduces losses, and increases transparency throughout the supply chain. With automated, real-time tracking, RAIN enables businesses to avoid stockouts, limit overstock, and optimize warehouse operations. Furthermore, it improves operational efficiency by streamlining processes and accelerates recall procedures by quickly identifying affected products.
“RAIN is a proven technology in large-scale logistics management, and the transport of food is no different,” comments Aileen Ryan, President and CEO of RAIN Alliance. “By utilizing RAIN tags, organizations such as Powercast are helping to streamline and optimize the food industry supply chain. This isn’t just unlocking new operational efficiencies; it is driving a new era of food safety standards where any risk of contamination at any point in the supply chain can be recognized and rectified before a product reaches the shelves. And with more and more consumers factoring in responsible sourcing in their purchasing decisions, transparent, traceable data from farm to table can be a key differentiator that helps make a more sustainable food industry.”
DPP and Sustainable RAIN Innovation
As industries move toward greater transparency, the EU’s Digital Product Passport (DPP) is setting a new standard for tracking a product’s lifecycle—from raw materials to disposal. Powercast is at the forefront of this shift, leveraging its RF wireless power technology to enhance RAIN’s role in sustainability.
By embedding its Powerharvester® technology into RAIN tags, Powercast enables maintenance-free, batteryless tracking systems that align with both DPP initiatives and corporate sustainability goals while elevating RAIN beyond just identification. These systems help businesses reduce waste, improve inventory accuracy, collect environmental data critical to sustainable operations, and are able to power or recharge the DPP device.
As a member of the RAIN Alliance Sustainability Working Group, Powercast is driving innovation that bridges RAIN technology with real-world sustainability efforts, ensuring smarter, more responsible supply chains.
Beyond Supply Chain: Powercast’s Wireless Solutions in Everyday Life
While RAIN is already transforming retail and logistics, its potential extends beyond the supply chain. As mandates drive RAIN adoption in apparel and consumer goods, Powercast’s wireless power solutions unlock new, smarter applications. “With our technology, those same RAIN systems could enable auto-reordering, smart inventory monitoring, and even recharge the numerous electronic devices around us every day,” points out Greene.
Imagine a home where RAIN-enabled products seamlessly manage everyday tasks. A refrigerator could track food levels and automatically reorder groceries, while a medicine bottle could remind users when it’s time for a refill. By integrating RAIN with wireless power, companies can create an ecosystem where objects don’t just store data—they actively improve efficiency, reduce waste, and enhance user convenience.
Powercast is leading this evolution, bridging the gap between regulatory mandates and real-world innovation. “We’re not just enabling compliance,” says Greene. “We’re creating smarter, more intuitive interactions between people and technology—making everyday life more seamless, helping businesses, consumers, and the planet.”
About Powercast Corporation
Powercast Corporation, founded in 2003 and based in Pittsburgh, PA, is the go-to resource for wireless charging solutions, ranging from short to long distances and from microwatts to kilowatts, with the industry’s broadest technology portfolio backed by over 300 patents worldwide. We design, develop, and manufacture semiconductor chips as well as complete wirelessly powered products, enabling various levels of customer integration.
Powercast’s solutions include RF power-over-distance charging, high-performance inductive charging systems, and low-power sensors with up to 25-year battery life. With flexible magnetic resonance systems, Powercast positions itself as the industry’s most comprehensive source for wireless power technology. For more information, visit https://www.powercastco.com.
About the RAIN Alliance
The RAIN Alliance enables organizations to improve traceability, effectiveness, and sustainability by simplifying, standardizing and accelerating the adoption of RAIN technology through global collaboration and innovation. Its global membership consists of companies and organizations which develop and deploy RAIN technology solutions across many vertical markets.
RAIN is a standards-based wireless technology that enables businesses and consumers to identify, locate and authenticate billions of items connected to the Internet of Things. RAIN technology uses the ISO/IEC 18000-63 protocol (also known as GS1 UHF Gen2). For more information, visit https://therainalliance.org/
References
1. Dall, Chris. “Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy.” CIDRAP, 17 Feb. 2025, cidrap.umn.edu/foodborne-disease/report-illnesses-contaminated-food-increased-2024-severe-cases-doubled.
2. Nutrition, Center for Food Safety and Applied. “FSMA Final Rule: Requirements for Additional Traceability Records for Certain Foods.” FDA, 13 Nov. 2024, fda.gov/food/food-safety-modernization-act-fsma/fsma-final-rule-requirements-additional-traceability-records-certain-foods.
3. Dake, Zach. “Digital Product Passports Enabled by RAIN.” The RAIN Alliance, 4 Nov. 2024, therainalliance.org/digital-product-passports-enabled-by-rain-rfid/.
4. U.S Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “Investigation Update: E. Coli Outbreak, McDonald’s Quarter Pounders – October 22, 2024.” CDC, U.S Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 22 Oct. 2024, cdc.gov/ecoli/outbreaks/investigation-update-e-coli-o157-2024.html.
5. Coveny, McKenna Madison. “Why Does It Seem like 2024 Is the Year of E. Coli Outbreaks?” Food Poisoning News, 22 Nov. 2024, foodpoisoningnews.com/why-does-it-seem-like-2024-is-the-year-of-e-coli-outbreaks/.
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