Kyle Steele, recent master’s graduate in animal sciences and industry, Silver Lake, Kan., found that using light-emitting diode, or LED, lights in refrigeration units both saves energy for meat retailers and extends the shelf life of some beef products.

“By using LED lighting in meat retail display cases, Kansas retailers can save money by lowering the operational costs of refrigerated cases and extending the color shelf life of fresh meat products,” Steele said. “Additionally, by extending the color shelf life, retailers have a greater opportunity to sell the product at full price, and the state of Kansas can gain tax revenue from the full retail price rather than a discounted price.”

Steele compared the use of LED lights and fluorescent lights in meat refrigeration units because many meat retailers currently use fluorescent lights.

During refrigerated display, the color of fresh meat changes because of its natural chemistry and exposure to oxygen. Because color is a large factor that influences customers in purchasing meat, some consumers discriminate against discolored meat. These discolored meat products must either be discounted or discarded, which has been estimated to cost the meat industry up to a billion dollars each year, Steele said.

The researchers found that LED lights scored positively in nearly all areas. Most significantly, LED lights helped reduce operating costs and prolonged the shelf life for most of the meat products.

“Most meat products displayed under LED lighting had colder internal product temperatures, which helps extend product shelf life,” Steele said. “Beef loin steaks and inside round steaks that were stored under LED lights can have up to one day longer shelf life.”

Among operational costs, LED lights had fewer cycles per running hour, meaning they were a more efficient and cost-saving light source than fluorescent lights.

Steele’s research was supported by Hussmann Corp., a St. Louis-based manufacturer of merchandising equipment and refrigeration systems, and Wichita-based Cargill Meat Solutions Corp.

Derek Johnson, Sales Manager for the North Central Region, spent much of the weekend talking to the steady stream of visitors that stopped by the CrownTonka booth for more information. “It was a great event,” said Johnson. “I was happy to see the numbers of people that were interested in our products. Our booth stayed busy and we made some great new connections.”

CrownTonka SVP of Sales and Marketing, Greg Sullens, echoed Johnson’s sentiments. “It’s been a good year for CrownTonka, even in this tough economy. We’ve been doing this a long time and buyers know we’re the ones to go to for the right walk-in solution.”  This year was especially exciting as we introduced our new exclusive Sani-Steel offering with our partner, Lampre Steel.  These new walk-in cooler and freezer finishes are all anti-microbial and NSF approved and the new floor metal also provides best in class slip resistance.

The NACS Show featured hundreds of exhibitors and amazing speakers including Bert Jacobs of The Life is Good Company and famed newsman, Tom Brokaw. In addition to great speakers and informative workshops, the show expo provided attendees with the industry’s latest and greatest products, services and suppliers in one area.

Mike Kahler, CrownTonka President, was also on hand to meet with show attendees, fellow executives and industry professionals. “The NACS show allows us to meet new customers and reconnect with current ones.” Kahler stated. “It’s a great gathering for the industry and we’re already looking forward to next year.”

The next NACS show will be held in Las Vegas October 7-10^th.

Frustrated, they called upon CrownTonka. Dennis Parle, VP of Sales, handled the inquiry and within a few days the problem was solved. Utilizing the skill of our structural engineer and the vast structural testing we have completed, CrownTonka was able to devise a solution without the need for any structural steel components. This solution saved thousands of dollars in unsightly steel work and increased the amount of storage area available for generating revenue. Sounds like a win-win to me.

Please call us for your solution. 1-800-523-7337

CrownTonka has been working closely with its vendor/partner, Carpenter Company, a division of Chemical Systems Division, to develop a urethane insulation with superior insulating perform. The result of this collaboration is FE-2200, the most technologically advanced urethane insulation available. The ‘R’ value or insulating value of CrownTonka insulated panels is up to 35% better when compared to panels manufactured with polystyrene.

To quantify the savings in dollars, we worked closely with another vendor/partner who is a leader in refrigeration manufacturing. We compared the proto-type of one of the major convenience store chains we serve to determine what the energy savings would be for a walk-in manufactured by CrownTonka using FE-2200 versus a walk-in manufactured with Extruded Polystyrene with an ‘R’ value of 5 per inch.

Based on 10 cents per/Kilo watt hour (KWH), the estimated annual savings for the CrownTonka walk-in was $1,110 or $5550 over 5 years. Furthermore, the CrownTonka walk-in required a smaller refrigeration unit resulting in another 9% of $484 savings!

The bottom line is that by choosing CrownTonka as its supplier, this convenience store operator saved over $1,594 in the first year alone- and each year they we save another $1,110. Talk about payback! To find out more, call us toll-free at 1-800-523-7337.