Manufacturers of the world-famous Parmesan cheese are now putting mini trackers in their cheese wheels. This makes it easier to trace origin, an important weapon in the fight against fraud.

Europe is about more than just cracking down on big tech companies. There are now around 3,500 products in the EU whose origin or geographical indication is protected. High-end products are big business and like anything involving money, they attract criminals. Fraud involving products such as certain wines, extra virgin olive oil or meat is commonplace. Another product that regularly falls victim to this development is the famous Parmigiano Reggiano. That’s why manufacturers are now adding tiny chips with a tracker to their cheese wheels.

cheese chips

It is the American company p-Chip, which partly focuses on nanotechnology, and makes the gems. The cheese is equipped with microtransponder technology to ensure authenticity for buyers and users.

A tiny chip in a silicone mold is added to the cheese wheels, which is completely safe for food. This contains a unique code that inspectors can scan and which then shows the entire journey of the cheese from production to sale. The chip is incorporated in the top layer, i.e. in the crust. There is no risk of someone accidentally eating the tracker.

p-Chip uses blockchain technology to authenticate the data. The system was tested on more than a hundred thousand wheels of Parmesan cheese last year.

Advantages and possible uses

The American company’s new technology is said to be better than some alternatives because of the difficulty of reproducing its system, because it can scan through many materials and because it can withstand extreme temperatures. These trackers are even supposed to be microwave safe, but anyone who puts this cheese in the microwave doesn’t actually deserve this product.

p-Chip does not limit this technology to delicious cheese. Other applications include car parts and monitoring livestock or fruits and vegetables. Even the pharmaceutical industry is examining the possibilities, according to p-Chip itself.

Monitoring products is not unimportant in many industries. For example, the Belgian company HeronTrack is developing trackers for building materials.