#USA #San Diego #Food Safety #Wiliot #Ambient IoT

Wiliot Takes Center Stage at Progressive Grocer Impact Awards

Wiliot, known for its groundbreaking advancements in the Internet of Things (IoT), was recently honored with a prestigious award at the 2024 Progressive Grocer Impact Awards. The accolade recognizes the company’s innovative Ambient IoT Food Safety Initiative, which aims to enhance transparency and safety within the food supply chain. This recognition comes as Wiliot stands alongside industry giants previously awarded in this category, including Kroger, Whole Foods, and Giant Food.

A Commitment to Food Safety and Sustainability

The Progressive Grocer Impact Awards are designed to celebrate advancements made by retailers, suppliers, and service providers in addressing critical issues within the food industry, such as food waste, greenhouse gas emissions, and ethical sourcing. According to Wiliot, their Ambient IoT Food Safety Initiative effectively combines technology and collaboration to foster a safer, more sustainable food system across America.

Steve Statler, CMO at Wiliot, emphasized the initiative's scope, stating that it unites various stakeholders, including technology firms, standards organizations, and food brands. The clear objective is to harness the ambient IoT technology, which is described as the most scalable and efficient method to enhance safety and supply chain transparency. According to Statler, “No one company can drive the change we need to see across the food industry.”

Advancing the Ambient IoT Frontier

Wiliot's collaboration with leaders in the food industry, including iFoodDS and Trustwell, enables the integration of ambient IoT data into existing food safety and compliance platforms. This integration allows companies to track food products not just through conventional methods like QR codes and shipping notices, but also through the advanced capabilities offered by Wiliot’s ambient IoT solutions.

Moreover, the initiative is tailored to meet the requirements of the Food Safety Modernization Act's Rule 204, which imposes stricter regulations on tracking food through the supply chain, aiming for enhanced responses to food safety crises such as contamination outbreaks. With a compliance deadline set for January 2026, Wiliot’s technology offers timely solutions for the industry’s largest food companies.

The Role of Transparency and Traceability

Frank Yiannas, former Deputy Commissioner of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and a strategic advisor to Wiliot, pointed out that achieving better consumer protection hinges on establishing transparent and traceable processes throughout the food production chain. He stated, “The Ambient IoT Food Safety Initiative has established a consortium of industry leaders that’s helping food companies embrace a new technology…”

Ambient IoT, which features products that do not require batteries, utilizes low-cost wireless standards, becoming a practical alternative to legacy technologies. Wiliot’s ambient IoT Pixels can be attached to any food product or its packaging, enriching them with ambient intelligence, thus allowing companies to access real-time data on a product’s condition, location, and carbon emissions. The cloud-based platform harnesses this data for actionable insights.

Beyond the Food Safety Initiative

In addition to receiving accolades for its Ambient Food Safety Initiative, Wiliot continues to push the boundaries of technology in the food space. The company recently introduced the WiliBot GenAI, a chatbot that leverages both ambient intelligence and generative AI. This innovation allows businesses to interact with food products in a more informative way—by scanning a product equipped with an IoT Pixel, individuals can inquire about critical details such as manufacturing conditions and environmental impacts in natural language.

Wiliot’s outstanding efforts in technology have not gone unnoticed, with their achievements including timelines from renowned institutions like TIME and Gartner, alongside numerous awards. The recognition from Progressive Grocer solidifies Wiliot’s role as a frontrunner in transforming the food industry through technology.

For more information about Wiliot and its innovations, check out their official site and explore the potential of the ambient IoT ecosystem to make our food systems safer and smarter.