“Temperature variations in the cold chain make handling fresh fish a race against the clock. With Keep-it shelf life indicators, we can offer our clients and their customers a tool that monitors freshness with accuracy. It is both simple and smart, and secures the top quality product we would like to offer the European seafood consumers,” says Ola Brattvoll, Marine Harvest’s Chief Operating Officer.
The vertically integrated salmon producer is planning to introduce Keep-it indicators to their products in ten European markets by 2019, with test launches due to take place in selected countries by the end of this year. The indicators are attached directly after the fresh fish is cut and packed and are able to track the actual temperature impact on the fish product throughout the cold chain, thus enabling a more dynamic and precise shelf life than traditional date stamping.
“Our aim is to provide a better tool for producers, retailers and consumers than today’s static date stamp. With Keep-it, Marine Harvest and their customers will have a smart and simple tool to secure and document a high quality cold chain and evidence of freshness. With our solution we believe traditional date stamping will soon be expired,” says Kristen A Hovland, CEO of Keep-it Technologies.
After testing the concept over a few years with the Norwegian retailer REMA 1000, Keep-it is now ready to launch internationally. The retail chain has experienced increased consumer satisfaction, better in-store routines, reduced food waste and improved profitability.
“We have high expectations for this new technology and that it will help us in further developing the high quality prepacked fresh fish category in Europe,” says Ola Brattvoll, Chief Operating Officer of Marine Harvest.
