For more information on Promolux lighting or to request a quote, click on the links to the right.

Eye catching retail displays of baked products leads to increased sales as well as a powerful marketing strategy that influences customers to purchase more. How you choose to display the products in your bakery will depend on the type, size, color and the ingredients used in developing them. These factors help in choosing the appropriate retail display case to be used and creative artistic display styles to make the products appear fresh and attractive.

Decorations

Most baked products displayed in bakeries are decorated to enhance their appearance. Different types of cakes are decorated with icings that match themes such as birthdays, weddings or anniversary celebrations. Also, cookies are decorated to appear attractive especially to the kids during Halloween. When planning for products display, the ingredients used for decoration should be considered in order to retain their fresh appearance. It is advisable to display decorated cakes and cookies in a glass display case to prevent exposure to air that may lead to drying up and hardening of the decorations. In addition, decorated baked products should be displayed in a case lit with a specialty LED lighting system. Displaying decorated products under LED lighting eliminates chances of decorations fading and appearing less fresh.

Ingredients

The ingredients used to make baked products determine the mode of their display in the bakery. Products made with flour and baking soda, yeast or baking powder, have a longer shelf life. These products can be displayed on wooden shelves, propped shelves, baskets and other dry display cases. Products like common bread, doughnuts and cookies stay fresh for a prolonged period at room temperature.

On the other hand, baked products that were made using perishable ingredients such as cheese, eggs, fresh fruit filling, milk and other dairy products should be kept in refrigerated display cases. The temperature in the case should be regulated to prevent premature decay of the products. However, the use of fluorescent lighting in the display cases will result in higher temperatures that can make the displayed products stale. In order to extend shelf life of the baked products, it is advisable to replace the heat producing fluorescent lights with Promolux LED lighting for bakery display cases since they do not warm up to provide light.

Type, color and size

The type, size and color of the baked products determine the arrangement to be used in the display cases. Mixing different types of baked products should be avoided as it may bring about confusion while making some products invisible. Though different types of products may be displayed in the same dry or refrigerated display case, each category should occupy a shelf. The small sized products such as doughnuts, roll bread, cupcakes and other cookies should occupy the upper shelves in the display cases. The secret of coming up with eye catching product display is to use Promolux lighting for bakery display cases. In this case, baked products with the same colors should be arranged on the same side while creating the transition with products having a different color. Promolux lamps bring out the true colors making the products appear brighter and fresh.

For more information on Promolux food safe lighting or to request a quote, click on the links to the right.

The photodegradation of food is a huge problem that largely affects people working in the retail food industry. One of the essential tools required in making your retail food business marketable is a set of food display cases. These display cases have become synonymous with food display; although there was a time when the presentation of food, in a bakery outlet for example, did not require the use of such elaborate cases.

There are numerous advantages to having a food display case in your bakery, which is why almost everyone has one in their outlet. However, the one big disadvantage that you should be concerned about is that inferior display case lighting leads to a number of problems in terms of food safety and shelf life. This is where the widespread issue of photodegradation of food creeps into the picture. When food contained within display cases is exposed to ordinary lights that make up the food display case lighting, photodegradation can take place within the constituents of the food. As a result of this, your food turns bad prematurely and the safety of the consumers purchasing the food is potentially compromised.

There are measures that you can take to prevent the photodegradation of the products in your bakery. Here are three tips to help you out:

1) Reduce light exposure of sensitive foods

Certain foods are more sensitive to light, and thereby more prone to photodegradation, than others. This makes it a necessity for you to identify the light sensitive foods that you are selling to the consumers and try to limit their exposure to food display lighting. You can do this by either changing the position of the food items inside the display case or by simply taking the food out of the case.

2) Remove the bright lights

Have you gone overboard with the commercial lighting in your bakery? Are there are too many bright LEDs and fluorescents in your bakery that are quite unnecessary? Then it is high time that you start taking the bright lights out and replacing them with lights of lower intensity. Remember, the more intense the light is, the more severe will be the effects of photodegradation on the food. Do not compromise the safety and shelf life of your food in a bid to attract a few extra customers who may or may not purchase your goods.

3) Food safe lighting

Food safe lighting is a set of specialized merchandising lamps that have very low photochemical activity. This means that such lighting will hardly have any adverse effects on the quality or the longevity of your food. Promolux lamps are an example of food safe lighting, which help retain the freshness of your perishable goods and minimize the risk of photodegradation.

For more information on Promolux food safe lighting or to request a quote, click on the links to the right.

The fact that inferior display case lighting can affect food, lead to premature discoloration, and lower the shelf life of baked goods is something that is known to some people are who involved in the retail industry. Despite that, few retailers have taken appropriate measures to ensure that food display lighting does not hamper the quality of their food and dent the reputation of their business.

The problem with inferior food display lighting

The idea that lighting can have adverse effects on the safety of perishable goods such as baked items is not widespread knowledge as of yet. This is the reason why retailers do not take food display lighting very seriously. Many of them simply ignore the problem due to the lack of adequate information on the subject.

For example, the owner of any bakery outlet is supposed to be very selective about the display lighting that gets fitted into the bakery display case. However, we rarely see owners investing their money on high quality food safe lighting.

Most of them settle for ordinary lights and risk facing consequences such as photodegradation of food, accelerated growth of pathogens and absorption of excessive heat, which leads to changes in the chemical composition of the baked goods.

Drawing the shopper’s attention in the wrong way

In the retail food industry, drawing the customer’s attention is an integral part of keeping your business alive in an intensely competitive atmosphere. If the customers who walk into a bakery shop are not satisfied with the appearance of the foods placed in the display case, then chances are that they will walk away without taking their wallets out. To avoid this rejection, entrepreneurs go to great lengths to create wonderful displays of baked goods that are placed under spot and accent lights with extra intensity.

The more intense the light is, the higher the chances are of photo degradation of food taking place. In other words, bright lights lead to big problems for retail food outlets. These lights are literally causing the food to go bad. The business owners are succeeding in drawing the customers into the shop. However, in doing so, they are compromising the safety of their food, which should be their primary concern.

Plenty of research but no implementation

The connection between lighting and photodegradation of food or food toxicity is something that has piqued the interest of research facilities in numerous universities across the world. However, the information that is being discovered inside the research labs is yet to trickle down to the grassroots level retailers who are completely unaware of the fact that their flashy display lights are ruining the quality of their food.

According to one report, most in-store lighting is inferior from a food safety and shelf life perspective. This means that most bakery outlets are not only selling unsafe foods, but they are also reducing their profits by unknowingly reducing the shelf life of their baked goods.

The solution: food safe lighting

If you are concerned about preserving the quality of your baked goods, we recommend food safe lighting such as that developed by Promolux. This specialty lighting designed specifically with food retailers in mind will extend the shelf life of your baked products, while making them look more attractive to consumers.

For more information on Promolux LED lighting or to request a quote, click on the links to the right.

Promolux lighting for fresh bakery merchandising provides adequate light that highlights baked products displayed in them. However, bakery products can only sell if they are produced and displayed in a clean environment. Maintaining the cleanliness of the display cases is essential as customers are likely to have faith in your business hence making more purchases. Remember that a well lit display case, especially those made with acrylic and glass material, will reveal the items displayed plus any dust, untidy crumbs and rust present. Therefore, following simple display case cleanliness steps is essential in keeping off dust, rust and crumbs. Keep the display cases in your bakery sparkling clean, using the tips below.

Spray dust before displaying products

In order to keep the display cases dust free, routine spraying of the case with a dust repelling glass cleaner is highly recommended. Even if you had cleaned the display cases on the previous evening, you need to remove any existing dust before placing new products in the morning. In this case, get the dust repelling glass cleaner and spray the inner part of the case. After spraying, get a lint free towel and carefully wipe the interior and exterior parts of the display case. Once sure that no dust particles are present, arrange the baked items on the shelves using the color coding method to make the display attractive. Turn on your Promolux LED lighting for eye catching display appearance.

Daily thorough cleaning

Display cases are prone to dust, crumbs and oils from the baked products. At the end of the day, display cases are likely to have a combination of moisture, crumbs, grease and dust that makes it dirty and unfit for product display. To avoid this accumulation, it is advisable to clean the display cases every day. At the end of the day, remove all the baked products displayed in the cases for a thorough cleaning exercise. Turn off the lighting system used in the display and wipe out all the small crumbs.

At this stage avoid using harsh cleaning chemicals as they might ruin the material while making the case unfit for food display. Once the crumbs and other particles are out, wipe the sides of the case with wet clean lint free microfiber cloth. Using a dry lint free cloth, wipe the entire display case dry. Leave the case open to prevent moisture formation and promote dryness for product display the following day. For refrigerated cases, put on the cooling system soon after cleaning and arrange the products for preservation overnight. Turn on the LED food display lighting, which you can leave on as it does not produce heat and its energy consumption is low.

Regular display case wiping

Display cases are touched regularly as people admire the baked products while choosing the ones they want to buy. Constant touching of the glass case to point at the desired product and when removing them leaves greasy fingerprint marks. If these marks are unchecked, they make the display case appear increasingly dirty and unclear. To avoid this, it is advisable to assign a staff member to regularly wipe the case with a clean-dry microfiber cloth. Wiping should be done after every three hours or depending on the amount of customers that go through the bakery store. By using Promolux LED supermarket showcase lighting, you can easily highlight existing marks for prompt cleaning.

For more information on Promolux lighting or to request a quote, click on the links to the right.

Running a bakery is not child’s play. There are a lot of factors that need to be taken into consideration in order to make a bakery store thrive in the intensely competitive food industry. If you fail to get off to a flying start, your bakery business may never run as smoothly as you may have imagined it. One of the main areas where bakery business owners falter is food safety.

Ensuring food safety in bakery outlets has its own set of special requirements and features. Consumers who purchase baked goods are very meticulous about the nutritional value and the healthiness of such items. If you fail to meet certain basic standards of food safety and hygiene, then your bakery business will be in serious danger. If you persist in not paying attention to food safety equipment and measures, then your bakery store will soon go out of business.

In order to prevent such a disaster, you need to learn about important food safety considerations for all bakeries and baked goods sections. Here are some key areas that you should focus on.

Controlling pests

Pest control may sound like a silly matter, but it can actually be a problem of epic proportions. How embarrassing would it be for your customer to find the remains of a cockroach in a cupcake that they have purchased from your shop? Or how big of a blow would it be for your bakery’s reputation if a customer spots a creepy crawler inside your bakery display case? Incidents like these are not only humiliating, but they can pose a major threat to the survival of your business. Therefore, you need to make sure that you have invested sufficient resources in a proper pest control management system.

Employee hygiene

The employees, especially those who are directly involved in the manufacturing, processing and handling of baked goods, should follow a strict protocol that guidelines basic hygiene and cleanliness requirements. Employees should wear protective clothes and have their heads and hands covered when in direct contact with the food. They should be equipped in protective clothing even when they are touching the display cases. Employees should also be discouraged from wearing accessories such as ornaments or rings that pose a risk of food contamination.

Food safe lighting

Using ordinary lights for bakery display cases can have a number of detrimental effects on the quality of your baked goods. Exposure to intense lights leads to discoloration, photo degradation and reduction in the shelf life of food. All of these conditions can lead your business incurring financial losses due your negligence towards the harmful effects of inferior bakery display case lighting. Under such circumstances, your best option is to ensure that you use food safe lighting.

You can use Promolux lamps for this purpose since these emit minimal levels of the damaging visible spectrum and ultraviolet radiation. In fact, Promolux lamps can increase the shelf life of your baked goods by 50%.