The environmental condition of food products must be carefully monitored and documented during storage to ensure safety, quality and longer shelf life, especially for highly perishable products such as dairy, meat, poultry and fish. Refrigerated foods should be kept at 41°F (5°C) or lower to inhibit bacterial growth. Frozen products should be kept at 0°F (-18°C). Always store products such as ice cream in the coldest part of a walk-in freezer. If ice cream is subjected to fluctuations in temperature, tiny ice crystals will form and it will quickly deteriorate.

Monitor the air temperature and humidity levels inside chilled display cases, coolers, and refrigerators and walk-in freezers with FlashLink Wireless Monitoring System or reusable electronic data loggers. Use two wireless sensors or data loggers in each cooler unit, one in the warmest and one in the coldest areas to ensure that products are being cooled or stored efficiently. The wireless temperature/humidity monitoring system allows for real-time alarm notifications via telephone, email and audibles. On the Pro-series Data Logger model, the LCD screen lets you view current temperature, while the logger does the temperature recording for you. Reviewing the data from both systems is simple and easy via plug & play software with user friend interface design. You can produce reports with various detail levels that will document critical control points of your HACCP program. To spot check core product temperatures, simply use the FlashCheck Digital Pocket Probe Thermometer.

Temperature has a direct effect on the respiration rate of horticulture products, or the rate at which various products deteriorate. Peaches and apples can ripen three times as fast if stored at inappropriate temperatures, thus having a direct impact on the shelf life. A survey by Progressive Grocer showed that six out of ten consumers agree that produce departments are "extremely important" in their decision on where to shop for groceries. Optimum storage temperatures vary by product.

According to the 2003/2004 Supermarket Shrink Survey, General Employee-Caused Shrink (general employees do not include cashiers) runs an average of 22% of overall shrinkage, more than shoplifting! Hence why it is so much more critical to have automated systems in place for 24/7 continuous monitoring of storage conditions in addition to having manual spot checking. FlashLink Wireless Temperature and Humidity Monitoring System is specifically designed to be there for you any time and all the time.

In dry goods storage areas the ideal temperature should be 50°F (10C°) to extend the products’ shelf life. Instantly read temperatures at various distances without punching holes in the product or packaging which helps prevent contamination, or check surface temperature of products in hard to reach areas with ThermoTrace Non-Contact Infrared Thermometers. These are also very useful during power outages to quickly check product temperatures in refrigerated cases or other cold storage areas, or simply to verify the proper functioning of these units. Use them for quick screening, then follow-up with core product temperature readings, using a FlashCheck Pocket Probe Thermometer, if surface temperatures indicate a possible problem.