A CONTROVERSIAL invention predicted to replace the barcode will be showcased at an event on Teesside next week.
Radio frequency identification technology (RFID) is capable of tracking a single box of cereal from manufacturer to warehouse to shop floor and through the checkout.
The development allows individual items to be stamped with a unique code.
Bernard Auton, director of the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport, will use a speech at the Shift, Stack and Store free event in Middlesbrough FC's Riverside Stadium on Tuesday to highlight the technology's benefits.
Some consumer groups have branded RFID the shopping equivalent of Big Brother, saying it invades shoppers' privacy.
But many leading companies are testing the technology, which could save retailers hundreds of thousands of pounds.
For more information on the event, visit www.shiftstackstore.com
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