Food Merchandising
Intensely bright lighting has long been a standard for the display
of fresh foods in retail settings. This standard however, is becoming
increasingly understood as a source of damage to the safety and appearance
of the products it is trying to promote.
| Over 50 years of research have proven that artificial light sources
contribute to oxidization and photochemical reactions in fresh foods
resulting in their premature discoloration and spoilage: the brighter
the light, the greater the damage. |
"...36.7% of the meat purchases from self-service
counters were unplanned and ... these impulse purchases were made
primarily because of attractive
appearance." |
Modern displays of fresh foods are brightly lit in keeping with the
idea that shoppers are attracted to and prefer bright displays, which
in turn leads to improved sales volumes for retailers. What is less understood
is the negative impact this retail lighting trend has on food safety,
shelf life, and the visual appeal of food, which is affected by the off
colors created by the yellow and
green spectra produced by general lighting products.
| "...visual appearance is rapidly
assessed and is interpreted into a response: to buy or not to buy,
to eat or not to eat." |
What is less understood is the negative impact this retail lighting
trend has on food safety, shelf life, and the visual appeal of food,
which is affected by the off colors created by the yellow and green
spectra produced by general lighting products. |
 Thousands of retailers worldwide have realized the value of Safe Spectrum® technology
and are using Promolux® lighting
products in their fresh food departments. Promolux® Safe Spectrum® offers
a solution for the estimated billions of dollars lost in the
US retail grocery industry
due to
the damaging effects of light on food shelf life. By specifying Promolux®,
these progressive retailers have discovered the bottom line benefits
of enhanced
food safety, extended shelf life, and natural, fresh looking
merchandising presentations. The following abstracts provide further
insight into the importance of light quality and presentation for the
merchandising
of fresh foods.
Food Merchandising References
A
Comparison of Five Different Modified Atmosphere Package Methods for
Retail Display-Ready Ground Beef. L.I. Kohls, J.L. Stefanek, C.
D. Smith, K.E. Belk, J.A. Scanga, J. N. Sofos and G.C. Smith. 2001
Animal Sciences Research Report. The Department of Animal Sciences,
Colorado State University.
"Consumers view color as one of the most important attributes
of fresh beef when making a decision to purchase retail product.
Color, therefore, determines appeal of the product in the retail
case and consumer acceptability."
"Because visual appearance of ground beef is important
to the consumer when making the decision to purchase, retailers
discount or discard product that is not acceptable in color,
resulting in a substantial economic loss for the retailer."
|
Beef Color as Related to Consumer Acceptance and
Palatability. L. E. Jeremiah, Z.L. Carpenter and G.C. Smith.
Journal of Food Science, vol. 37 (1972): 476-479.
"Consumer studies have shown that physical appearance of
a retail cut in the display case is the most important factor determining
retail selection of meat products."
"Consumers select meat cuts
primarily for leanness and then for appearance and freshness, with
judgments
for the latter two attributes based primarily on brightness of
color."
" The importance
of attractive lean color was further emphasized by Shaw (cited
by Nelson, 1964) who reported that 36.7% of the meat purchases
from self-service counters were unplanned and that these impulse
purchases
were made primarily because of attractive appearance." |
Factors Affecting Consumer Selection and Acceptability of Beef
in Central Alberta. L.E. Jeremiah. Journal of Consumer Studies and Home Economics,
vol. 5 (1981): 257-268.
"The
fact that 41.9% of the consumers interviewed in the present study
considered colour when making meat purchases substantiates that
colour is one of the most important selection criteria."
|
Acceptance of Fresh Chicken Meat Presented Under Three Light Sources. S. Barbut. Poultry
Science, vol. 80 (2001): 101-104.
"When a consumer is presented with a package of fresh meat,
visual appearance is rapidly assessed and is interpreted into a
response: to buy or not to buy, to eat or not to eat."
"Color is probably the single most important appearance
factor, especially today when meat cuts are already packaged."
"Packaged meat makes the consumer less able to get a true sense
of smell and touch, which could be used to evaluate factors such
as tenderness, juiciness, and flavor." |
Bibliography
Birren F. (1963). Color and Human Appetite. Food Technology, vol.
17:753-757.
Clark.
C.N. (1956). The Basis for Appropriate Lighting for Meat Displays.
Proceedings of the Meat Industry
Research Conference (American Meat Institute: Washington, D.C.)
Francis F.J. and F.M. Clydesdale. (1975). Food Colorimetry: Theory
and Applications. Westport, CT: AVI.
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