EPC Benefits for Consumers

As retailers and manufacturers implement EPC technology in their supply chains, consumers will realize a broad range of benefits. Here are some of the consumer benefits of EPC technology:

• Protecting consumers from counterfeit prescription medicines. Drug counterfeiting costs more than $200 billion in lost revenue per year, according to a Kessler International study. More importantly, counterfeiting costs lives. Beyond counterfeit drugs, the EPC can help reduce counterfeiting across a variety of product categories including electronics, toys, and clothing.
• Tracking food products, such as meat and milk. Outbreaks of hard-to-trace diseases like bovine spongiform encephalitis (Mad Cow) could be more easily traced to the source. In some countries livestock is already being tagged with RFID chips to track the animals to point of sale.
• Monitoring product freshness for goods with expiration dates.
• Providing businesses with a faster and more efficient way to recall defective products.
• Enhancing our homeland security by improving the tracking of cargo and ensuring our military men and women get the supplies they need during deployment
• Providing unprecedented visibility of products in the supply chain allowing retailers to track inventory more effectively, reorder products more efficiently, and get the products consumers want on the shelves at the right time.
• Protecting the environment by increasing recycling.
• Generating economic growth by creating jobs, spurring high-tech investment, and paving the way for new applications in the future.