We Hereby Declare June “Commercial Refrigeration Month”

So much is going on in June when it comes to commercial refrigeration. While June is typically known as the start of summer, we here at Minus Forty love this month because refrigerator and freezer technology get a well-deserved time in the spotlight.

Here’s why:

World Food Safety Day (WFSD) – June 6^th

Let’s start with World Food Safety Day (WFSD), that recently past on June 6^th. On this day WHO, in collaboration with associations such as the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) facilitate Member States efforts to celebrate, draw attention and inspire action to help prevent, detect and manage foodborne risks. These are risks associated with food security, human health, economic prosperity, agriculture, market access, tourism and sustainable development.

What does commercial refrigeration have to do with WFSD?

Commercial refrigeration plays a key role in ensuring the food we consume is safe and does not harm our health – it keeps food cold and fresh for longer periods of time. Reliable and clean commercial refrigeration reduces foodborne diseases, but it cannot do it alone. Owners need to practice the art of cleaning and maintenance, through regular cleaning and unit inspections. They can do this by developing a schedule for cleaning both the inside and outside of their cooler or freezer units and adhering to that schedule to reduce wear and tear and conduct close inspections of critical components like the condenser, the compressor and the evaporator fans.

The inside of any commercial cooler or freezer should never be cleaned with the same materials that are used for the outside, in efforts to prevent any transfer of bacteria that could contaminate the food. It’s also essential to keep cleaning equipment for refrigeration units separate from those used for floors or other equipment and surfaces in the store.

In this “new normal” cleaning and maintenance are more important than ever. Minus Forty also recommends that stores increase their cleaning protocols and use isopropyl or ethanol alcohol with a minimum 70% alcohol content to disinfect the hard surfaces in the interior and exterior of all coolers and freezers.

Ice Cream Day – July 19^th & Vanilla Milkshake Day – June 20^th

Ahh the classic, delicious, mouth watering, tasty vanilla milkshake. We love the creamy texture and sweet milky taste! The term milkshake was first used in print media in 1885, long time ago, originally for an alcoholic beverage. It wasn’t until the 1900s, that it evolved to a non-alcoholic drink with ice cream, and by the 1930s, it was a popular drink in malt shops everywhere. The automation of milkshakes developed after the invention of freon-cooled refrigerators provided a safe, reliable way of automatically making and dispensing ice cream. All great reasons for celebrating Vanilla Milkshake day on June 20^th.

And what’s a milkshake without ice cream? Friday, June 19^th is the day we celebrate all things ice cream. Soft ice cream, hard ice cream, ice cream bars, ice cream sandwiches, packaged Sunday or vanilla cones and more. In 1984, US Senator Walter Dee Huddleston of Kentucky kicked off July as the National Ice Cream Month and July 15^th as National Ice Cream Day. In addition, US President Ronald Reagan proclaimed those same dates as ice cream celebration days.

Even before that, according to the International Dairy Foods Association, the origins of ice cream date back to the second century B.C., when several prominent historical figures such as Alexander the Great, King Soloman and Nero Claudius Caesar enjoyed consuming iced beverages and snow.

With the advent of refrigeration and freezers, ice cream has become a staple dessert or treat for cultures around the world.

Ice cream products when stored in a reliable upright commercial freezer have a shelf life of up to four months. Stores love to stock the product as it adds additional revenue to the bottom line. These tempting treats will attract customers when installed in convenience stores and grocers or unexpected places, like lunchrooms, auto service centres or waiting rooms.

So how do you keep these treats cool during hot temperatures? A few things to remember:

• When stocking shelves in your commercial upright freezer, leave room between items to allow airflow above and below each level
• The constant opening and closing of freezer doors by customers to access these tasty treats can cause temperatures to fluctuate. So check for any freezer door gaps or torn gaskets and consider buying freezer merchandisers that have a NAMA approved SmartLock Health Timer, which monitors the interior storage temperature and safeguards stored food products by locking the frozen merchandiser when a pre-set safety limit is reached. The SmartLock system’s battery back-up also ensures the food safety system functions during a power outage
• Make sure you invest in the best when it comes to an ice cream commercial upright freezer merchandiser. Minus Forty freezers keep your ice cream products in perfect selling condition

World Commercial Refrigeration Day – June 26^th

This day is special to us at Minus Forty. It’s an international day that was established by the World Commercial Refrigeration Day Secretariat in Derbyshire, England. It’s held annually and was created to raise awareness about the importance of refrigeration technologies in people and business everyday life. It’s also a day that raises the profile of the refrigeration, air-conditioning and heat-pump sector. The day was chosen to celebrate the birth date of Lord Kelvin on June 26^th, 1824.

Commercial refrigeration technology has changed so much since Lord Kelvin’s time, and it just keeps getting better. Our coolers and freezers offer Environmentally friendly refrigerant and insulation and a long list of energy saving features. We have the best door seal in the industry, the most energy efficient glass available and a unique low maintenance condenser style that helps maintain operating efficiency. Minus Forty was also one of the first commercial refrigeration manufacturers to introduce LED lighting, making bulbs 85% more efficient that other lighting bulbs. For us, we celebrate World Refrigeration Day every day. We are always developing new technologies in our research and development lab to continually meet our customers’ demands as it relates to having commercial refrigeration that is truly a smarter investment for better product sales.