Reduce waste
See which lots are nearing the end of their shelf life and move them first — instead of discarding by printed date alone.
Breakthrough in intelligent food packaging
Packaging that knows when food is about to spoil.
ShelfAlert combines printed electronics with AI. Our low-cost, battery-free RFID sensor tags detect the gases food releases as it spoils, and our cloud platform predicts the remaining shelf life of every package — from production to shelf.
- Battery-free
- Printable & disposable
- Read by RFID or NFC phone
- Toronto, Canada
ShelfAlert tag
Package scan · illustration
3.5days of shelf life remaining
- Spoilage gases
- Low
- Temperature
- 3.8 °C
- Humidity
- 86 %
- Tag state
- OK
The problem
Food is judged by a date, not by its condition.
Today’s tools rely on static expiry labels and basic temperature logs. Without real-time data on the food itself, producers and retailers can’t act before product goes bad — so safe food is thrown away and spoiled food can still reach the shelf.
Our solution
Less waste. Safer food. Easier compliance.
Improve safety
Detect spoilage gases such as VOCs and hydrogen sulfide (H₂S) and receive real-time alerts that help keep unsafe products from reaching consumers.
Ensure compliance
Built-in audit and reporting tools with full traceability simplify regulatory checks for the CFIA, the U.S. FDA and other food-safety standards.
Product architecture
A freshness sensor, printed into the package.
ShelfAlert tags are passive, printable RFID sensors embedded directly into packaging materials. When spoilage gases reach the printed sensor layer, its electrical resistance changes; the RFID chip captures that change and stores it as freshness data — with no battery on the package.
- VOC & H₂S detection for real spoilage tracking
- Temperature and humidity sensing
- Battery-free UHF / NFC operation
- Printable, flexible, disposable tags
- Real-time AI shelf-life prediction
- Cloud dashboard with regulatory audit tools
Sensor layerPrinted ink that detects amines, ethylene and H₂S
RFID ICPassive, battery-free memory and logic
AntennaConductive ink for UHF and NFC
SubstratePrintable PET or biodegradable film
OKWarningSpoiled
On-tag logic flags three freshness states.
How it works
From the package to a decision in four steps.
- 1
Sense
The printed sensor layer reacts to spoilage gases (amines, ethylene, H₂S) and records temperature and humidity.
- 2
Capture
The passive RFID chip encodes the freshness data — no external power required.
- 3
Communicate
Tags are scanned by fixed RFID readers at docks and in stores, or with an NFC-enabled smartphone.
- 4
Predict
Readings upload to the ShelfAlert Cloud Dashboard, where AI models forecast remaining shelf life and trigger alerts.
ProductionTag applied in packaging
DistributionRFID reader at dock & warehouse
RetailScanner in store & back-room
ConsumerNFC smartphone check
ShelfAlert Cloud — every scan feeds one shared view of freshness, alerts and audit records
ShelfAlert Cloud Dashboard
One view of freshness across every lot.
Quality teams see which lots need attention, store managers see what to sell first, and compliance teams can export the records an inspector asks for.
- Shelf-life forecast per lot and per location
- Alerts when gas or temperature readings cross a threshold
- Lot-level traceability and exportable audit trail
- API integration with ERP and logistics systems
Lots in cold storageIllustrative mock-up
| Lot | Product | Shelf life | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| A-104 | Ground beef | 1.2 d | Warning |
| A-117 | Chicken | 3.6 d | OK |
| B-022 | Salmon fillet | 0.0 d | Spoiled |
| B-031 | Leafy greens | 2.1 d | OK |
Who we serve
Built for everyone between the farm and the fridge.
Food producers
Meat · Seafood · Dairy · Produce
Add freshness intelligence to packaging and keep evidence of product condition from the moment it leaves the plant.
Cold-chain logistics & warehouses
Receiving · Storage · Dispatch
Scan cases and pallets to catch temperature abuse early and route shorter-life product to nearer customers.
Retailers & grocery chains
Rotation · Markdowns · Shrink
Rotate stock by real freshness and mark down or remove product with confidence.
Inspectors & compliance agencies
Audits · Traceability
Access objective condition data and audit records that make food-safety checks faster and more consistent.
Competitive landscape
Measuring the food itself — not just the air around it.
Cold-chain trackers measure the air around a shipment. Time-temperature indicator (TTI) labels estimate exposure. Standard RFID tags identify a product but say nothing about its condition. ShelfAlert combines identification, gas-based spoilage sensing and AI prediction in one disposable tag.
| Capability | ShelfAlert | Cold-chain trackers | TTI labels | Standard RFID tags |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gas-based spoilage detection | Yes | No | Limited | No |
| Passive, battery-free operation | Yes | No | Yes | Yes |
| Real-time data with AI prediction | Yes | Partial | No | No |
| Full inventory integration | Yes | Sometimes | No | Yes |
| Printable, flexible, disposable | Yes | No | Yes | Yes |
Why now
Regulation and the market are moving toward package-level data.
Canada
Safe Food for Canadians Regulations
In force since January 15, 2019, the SFCR require food businesses to trace food one step back to the immediate supplier and one step forward to the immediate customer.3 ShelfAlert links each tagged package to its lot and condition history.
United States
FDA Food Traceability Rule (FSMA 204)
Applies to Canadian businesses exporting foods on the FDA Food Traceability List — including fresh produce, soft cheeses, finfish and shellfish — with a compliance date of July 20, 2028.4
Market
Smart packaging is growing fast
The global smart-packaging market is estimated at roughly US$32–34 billion in 2025 and forecast to reach US$72–76 billion by 2035, with intelligent packaging the largest segment.5
Products & services
Everything needed to monitor freshness at scale.
Sensor tags
Basic VOC/H₂S tags, and premium custom tags with branding and extended sensors. Volume pricing for large manufacturers.
Cloud dashboard (SaaS)
Starter, Standard and Enterprise plans — from alerts and a basic dashboard to AI shelf-life prediction, API access and multi-site compliance.
Reader hardware
Starter UHF reader kits, multi-zone reader kits for larger operations, and NFC-enabled mobile scanners.
Integration & compliance
ERP and logistics API integration, a CFIA/FDA compliance-reporting module, and white-labelled dashboards for enterprise clients.
Pilot program
A three-month, paid proof-of-concept that puts ShelfAlert tags and the dashboard into your own products and supply chain, so you can measure the impact before rolling out.
About the company
A Canadian company tackling food waste at the package level.
ShelfAlert Solutions Corp. is a food-technology company headquartered in Toronto, Ontario. Our team brings together industrial-technology leadership, hands-on food manufacturing and distribution experience, electrical and signal-processing engineering, and regulatory and environmental-inspection expertise.
Our vision is for ShelfAlert to become the global standard for freshness monitoring: near-zero spoilage waste, real-time decision-making, and safer food systems in every market.
Go-to-market roadmap
- 01
Pilot programs
Paid pilots with meat and produce packagers to validate tags and shelf-life models in real cold-chain conditions.
- 02
Manufacturing partnerships
Partnerships with RFID and sensor-tag manufacturers to print ShelfAlert tags at scale.
- 03
Industry outreach
Trade shows and events focused on food safety and logistics to reach producers, distributors and retailers.
- 04
Regulatory certification
Certifications that open the inspection and compliance-agency market in Canada and abroad.
Leadership
The team behind ShelfAlert.
Ali Ghanbarzadeh
Chief Executive Officer
20+ years of executive leadership and entrepreneurial experience in industrial technology and cross-border ventures. Leads ShelfAlert’s innovation in shelf-life prediction and logistics.
Maryam Salari
Chief Operating Officer
More than a decade of leadership in food manufacturing, packaging and distribution, overseeing large-scale operations in Canada and Iran — from meat processing and packaging to wholesale supply-chain management.
Zahrasadat Tabatabai
Chief Technology Officer
Electrical engineer with extensive experience in signal processing and software development. Oversees ShelfAlert’s technology across both hardware and software.
Maliheh Jafarpourvasef
Chief Compliance Officer
Decades of experience in governance and environmental inspection. Ensures ShelfAlert meets regulatory requirements in each target market.
Elham Saneimousavi
Chief Sales Officer
Sales strategist with a proven track record in market expansion, leading initiatives that grow sales performance and client engagement.
FAQ
Common questions.
Do the tags need a battery?
No. ShelfAlert tags are passive RFID sensors. They draw power from the reader or smartphone at the moment they are scanned, which keeps them thin, low-cost and disposable.
What do the tags measure?
The printed sensor layer responds to gases released as food spoils — amines, ethylene, hydrogen sulfide (H₂S) and other VOCs — and the tag also records temperature and humidity.
How are tags read?
With standard UHF RFID readers (for example at receiving docks or in store back-rooms) or with an NFC-enabled smartphone. Readings are uploaded to the ShelfAlert Cloud Dashboard.
Which foods is ShelfAlert designed for?
Perishables whose spoilage produces detectable gases — fresh meat, poultry, seafood, dairy, fruit and vegetables.
Does ShelfAlert replace “best before” dates?
No. ShelfAlert adds real-condition data alongside existing labelling requirements, helping businesses make better decisions about rotation, markdowns and removal.
What are the tags made of?
A printable PET or biodegradable film substrate, an antenna printed in conductive ink, a passive RFID chip, and a printed gas-sensing layer.
How can my company work with ShelfAlert?
We work with food producers, cold-chain operators, retailers, packaging and tag manufacturers, and research partners. Contact our team to discuss a pilot or partnership.
Contact
Let’s talk about your supply chain.
Whether you produce, move or sell perishable food — or you’re a packaging, research or investment partner — we’d like to hear from you.
- Emailhello@shelfalert.ca
- Office4789 Yonge St., Unit 911
Toronto, ON M2N 0G3, Canada - HoursMonday–Friday, 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. ET
Sources
- Second Harvest, The Avoidable Crisis of Food Waste: Update (October 2024).
- United Nations Environment Programme, Food Waste Index Report 2024; FAO food-loss estimate cited therein.
- Canadian Food Inspection Agency, Understanding the Safe Food for Canadians Regulations: A handbook for food businesses.
- Canadian Food Inspection Agency, Industry action required – U.S. Food Traceability Rule.
- MarketsandMarkets, Smart Packaging Market report summary.