The Morning News reports that the RFID Research Center at the University of Arkansas and Deloitte Consulting have announced a method for using RFID to monitor and control conditions in the "cold chain," the distribution chain of perishable goods.

"Our research, which utilized emerging wireless, sensor and Internet applications, was able to monitor and control temperatures and provide sufficient tracking to ensure item-level quality," says Deloitte's Bruce Westbrook.

"This project showed that wireless and sensory technologies are a reliable, cost-effective way to investigate temperature and other conditions within a supposedly environmentally controlled trailer," says Bill Hardgrave, director of the RFID Research Center. "The preliminary data from the experiment are already beginning to provide insight into a 'real world' environment that until now had been prohibitively expensive to track. Overall, this project - even at this early stage - is rapidly bringing into focus the vision of a truly intelligent cold chain."

"Deloitte Consulting and the university collaborated with Chiquita Brands International for a real-world application of the research," the article states. "Chiquita provided refrigerated trucks and perishable products from its live supply chain."

The university's press release is here.