St. Paul, MN - In an effort to provide consumers with an additional measure of food quality, 3M has developed an innovative way to monitor the temperature conditions of refrigerated food products before and after they are purchased.
The 3M MonitorMark time temperature label is a visual indicator that lets consumers see if a package of refrigerated food has been stored for the proper time and at proper temperatures. The MonitorMark labels are now found on packages of Cub Foods ground beef at Cub Foods supermarkets in the Minneapolis and St. Paul area.
“Monitoring the temperature exposure of foods is very important because temperature impacts the shelf life of the product,” according to Rich Matner, market development manager, 3M Microbiology. “For example, a product that lasts for four days at 40 degrees F may only last for four hours when exposed to 120 degrees F -- which is how hot a car trunk can be in the summer.”
The MonitorMark label is temperature sensitive, changes color from off- white to black over time and darkens more rapidly at higher temperatures. “We conducted extensive market research and focus groups throughout the United States. 3M developed the label in response to consumers' concerns about the temperature storage of meat and dairy products,” says Matner. “Manufacturers also were looking for a cost-effective label that could be easily applied to the products.”
The label is applied to the package during food manufacturing and monitors the temperature from the food processor to the food retail store to the consumer's home. Since the color change of the MonitorMark label is permanent, consumers will know right away whether a product has been shipped and stored for the proper time and at proper temperatures.
Meat Industry Insights News Service
P.O. Box 553
Northport, NY 11768
Phone: 631-757-4010
Fax: 631-757-4060
E-mail: sflanagan@sprintmail.com
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