Geissler’s Adopts OnVu Meat Labeling
Geissler’s Supermarkets will be the first U.S. grocery retailer to feature the OnVu Intelligent indicator on meat product labels. OnVu uses state-of-the-art technology to enable shoppers to tell at a glance that meat has been kept at safe temperatures after purchase.
The United States is the latest country to adopt the innovative technology, which debuted in 2009 in Switzerland. Three Geissler’s stores in East Windsor, Somers and Granby, Conn., will pilot the labels this week on Geissler’s brand red-meat products, including ground beef and steak, before the indicators roll out nationwide to additional retailers later this year.
“We have processes in place to ensure safe handling of our meats and poultry from the delivery trucks to our store shelves, but once the food is placed in the shopping cart, it’s out of our control,” noted Ryan Nilsson, Meat Supervisor at East Windsor-based Geissler's. “The color-coded OnVu label is a foolproof way to give our shoppers valuable information about their meat up until they’re ready to prepare and eat it.”
OnVu is a tamper-proof label affixed and activated by the retailer before the item goes into the meat case. The indicator, in the form of a thermometer, starts as a dark-blue bulb and reacts to changes in the ambient temperature and over time. If a product has been placed outside safe temperatures, or above 40 degrees Fahrenheit, for too long, the indicator color will fade until it becomes lighter than the surrounding gray reference color, indicating that the product is no longer suitable to be eaten. If stored at safe temperatures, 40 degrees Fahrenheit or colder, the bulb will fade accordingly and show the product has been properly refrigerated through its expected shelf-life.
“Proper food handling by consumers is an important part of overall health,” explained Pedro Garza, OnVu’s business development manager for North America. “With OnVu, it’s never been easier to monitor that your foods you’re about to feed your family have been kept at safe temperatures after purchase.”
For the U.S. rollout, OnVu is teaming with East Windsor-based Specialty Printing LLC. “Some of our large retail customers want to monitor their refrigerated and frozen products like meat and poultry, frozen novelties, and other fresh perishable foods,” observed Bill Bailey, Specialty Printing president. “With the OnVu partnership, we can now offer our clients another Innovative solution, Geissler’s being a perfect example.”
OnVu is manufactured by Basel, Switzerland-based BASF Future Business GmbH, a wholly owned subsidiary of global chemical company BASF SE.