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 [...]
Here’s How You Can Heat Things Up This Summer in Your Food Retail Stores
The summertime, being one of the busiest seasons of the year, has traditionally been a great time for food retailers in terms of customer traffic and sales. Whether people visit their local grocery stores or shop for groceries online, the summer season is expected to excite—resulting in challenges to retailers in more ways than one. Good news—there are ways to heat things up during the summer season in your food retail stores. From showcasing summer food trends to refrigeration equipment maintenance, here are some tips for the hot and busy season: Showcase What’s Hot This Summer BBQ cookouts, family road [...]
Here’s How You Can Heat Things Up This Summer in Your Food Retail Stores
The summertime, being one of the busiest seasons of the year, has traditionally been a great time for food retailers in terms of customer traffic and sales. Whether people visit their local grocery stores or shop for groceries online, the summer season is expected to excite—resulting in challenges to retailers in more ways than one. Good news—there are ways to heat things up during the summer season in your food retail stores. From showcasing summer food trends to refrigeration equipment maintenance, here are some tips for the hot and busy season: Showcase What’s Hot This Summer BBQ cookouts, family road [...]
Common Challenges Businesses Face when Installing Industrial Refrigeration Systems
When building and operating businesses, such as food processing and manufacturing, it primarily requires establishing industrial refrigeration facilities from the ground up. This is true especially when a business starts to grow and expand. Installing industrial refrigeration systems becomes a must and can sometimes end up being a complicated task. Business owners from different sectors face several problems when it comes to their industrial refrigeration needs, ranging from choosing the right refrigeration system to the right refrigerant and technology. Here are some of the common challenges companies face when installing industrial refrigeration systems: Overall Cost of Installation Just like any [...]