The Past is Connected to the Present – History and Evolution of Natural Refrigerants
According to a famous American Astronomer, Dr. Carl Sagan, “You have to know the past to understand the present.” If history has taught us one thing, it is that the past is connected to things that are happening right now. Whether in business or in life, history tells us that in order for us to understand what is happening around us today, be it ideas, changes or events, we must learn to look back and understand its origin. In the refrigeration industry, the present push towards the use of natural refrigerants to curb the effects of climate change is not [...]
Back-to-School Food Products That Are on Top of Shoppers’ Grocery Lists This Year
Most school districts have opened for in-person education and parents are back working in the office, family meal preparations are slowly going back to pre-COVID days. However, the pressure for planning family meals has also resurfaced. That’s why easy and quick meal preparations are back gaining traction once again. Healthy and simple meals for the kids as they go back to school are one of the vital tools necessary to successfully navigate the school year ahead. As parents prepare for their children’s in-person education this fall, these back-to-school food products are on top of their grocery lists: Healthy Snacks Parents’ [...]
A Guide to Seafood Merchandising to Boost Grocery Sales
Product merchandising plays a key role in influencing store sales and bigger customer baskets. When it comes to merchandising food products, such as seafood which has been in the spotlight over the past few months, correct positioning and in-store promotions are essential to keep up with the demand and to keep sales growing. As customers continue to prioritize their health and wellness and become more conscious of what they eat, seafood remains on nearly every customer’s grocery list. This gives solid leverage for grocers wanting to take advantage of the opportunity by incentivizing them to strategize ways on how to [...]
How CO2 Training Plays a Critical Role in the Future of Refrigeration
The future refrigerants are geared towards the welfare of the environment. With sustainability at the core of the upcoming and existing refrigeration regulations from different agencies like EPA-SNAP and CARB, natural refrigerants are going to be the highlight in the commercial and industrial refrigeration industries moving forward. Since natural refrigerants such as CO2 are not like the usual HFCs and CFCs refrigerants that we’ve been used to applying in the food retail industry, special skills and knowledge are needed by those who work in the refrigeration industry. CO2 refrigeration training for technicians, engineers, and contractors plays a critical role in [...]
Maine, Virginia, and Rhode Island have recently joined other states in adopting the EPA’s SNAP rule.
Maine, Virginia, and Rhode Island have recently joined other states in adopting the EPA’s SNAP rule, prohibiting the use of certain refrigerants like R-404A. The states impacted and implementation dates are ... Read More>
Phasedown of HFCs: Establishing the Allowance Allocation and Trading Program under the AIM Act
On September 23, 2021, EPA Administrator Michael S. Regan signed a Final Rule titled, “Phasedown of Hydrofluorocarbons: Establishing the Allowance Allocation and Trading Program under the American Innovation and Manufacturing Act.” This final rule is the first regulation under the American Innovation and Manufacturing (AIM) Act of 2020 to address the production and consumption of hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), which are potent greenhouse gases commonly used in refrigerators, air conditioners, and many other applications. This final rule establishes the HFC production and consumption baselines from which reductions will be made and codifies the phasedown schedule, establishes an initial methodology for issuing allowances [...]
E-Commerce Trends that are Shaping Food Retail
As a sign of the times where everything is seemingly on demand, the adoption of e-commerce in the food retail industry has skyrocketed over the past year. Online grocery platforms have helped retailers stay afloat and kept consumers at home stocked up with their groceries and other essentials. In 2020, we have seen the promising value of e-commerce in our daily lives, most especially when buying groceries online. Fast forward to this year; it is expected that the adoption of e-commerce platforms will continue to rise. Almost 60% of American consumers are now shopping for groceries online and according [...]
Factors Influencing Store Traffic Today
Store traffic is usually used as a metric to gauge the success of retail business strategies. However, the recent public health crisis has made it challenging to stick to foot traffic as a measure of success as we continuously shelter in place. Things have changed, and with the increased adoption of online grocery platforms and grocers slowly building micro-fulfillment centers to support online orders, a growing number of customers are now having their groceries delivered right to their doorsteps. Still, nothing beats the experience of pushing shopping carts through grocery stores, navigating the aisles, and carefully choosing products while having [...]
Factors Affecting Food Integrity in Retail Stores
The condition of food products from farm-to-table must maintain the required levels of quality to achieve food integrity. According to the Department for Environment Food & Rural Affairs (DEFRA) UK, food integrity is “the state of being whole, entire, or undiminished or in perfect condition.” Though food integrity is famously attached to food safety, it is more than that, especially in the food retail industry. For customers, food integrity relates to their subjective opinion driven by their usage of four senses—sight, taste, touch, and smell. Likewise, from food processing to merchandising food products in retail stores, retailers also play a [...]
More Than a Year into the COVID-19 Pandemic, What Are Consumers Buying Right Now?
As the health crisis continues to evolve, so does consumer purchasing behavior. At the start of the pandemic, several disruptions and changes in buying behaviors emerged and shifted purchasing priorities towards the need for sanitizing products and easy-to-prepare meals and snacks. While in-store shopping is still thriving, online grocery shopping has quadrupled since 2017 with factors such as convenience and safety measures driving the spike. A year into the pandemic, several changes have once again been observed in the food retail industry, especially in how we operate our businesses. However, when it comes to consumers, how much have things [...]