Product Expiration Date Research Articles

Determinants of Young Polish Consumers’ Food Product Purchases

ABSTRACT This article investigates the factors influencing food product purchases by young Polish consumers aged 18–25 – a group important for the development of the economy. In the process of deciding to purchase specific food products, consumers pay attention to various economic and non-economic factors, including marketing. We carried out survey in October/November 2020 using the CAWI method (Google Forms) to test the importance of 17 factors on young Polish consumers’ food purchases, applying factor analysis and cluster analysis to the resulting data. The results reveal that price and product expiration date are young Polish consumers’ primary concerns when purchasing food products. The study also found that environmental sustainability attributes, although less critical than price or product quality, are increasingly influencing young Polish consumers' purchasing decisions.

IMPLEMENTATION OF EXPIRATION LABELIZATION OF HOUSEHOLD INDUSTRIAL FOOD PRODUCTS (P-IRT)

Food product labeling is one of the policies to ensure the quality of food products consumed by the public. The labeling policy is regulated in PP no.69 of 1999. One of the labeling policies is the obligation of food producers to include the product expiration date. Almost every year, a lot of findings of food products, especially the results of household industrial food products (P-IRT). This study seeks to formulate why the implementation of the PIRT expiration labeling policy is still not optimal. From the results of the study it was found that several factors influenced the implementation of this policy. The first was PIRT certification, especially at the extension stage and producer location review. The second is the understanding of PIRT producers regarding the expiration labeling. The third is limited human and financial resources. Fourth, consumers' concern that is still lacking is mainly related to attention to the expired labels of food products they consume.Keyword: Implementation, Labeling, Food, Expiration, Consumers

Presenting a two-echelon multi-objective supply chain model considering the expiration date of products and solving it by applying MODM

The supply chain (SC) as the most significant factor influencing competitive advantage has a great impact on the organization's life and progress. Considering the expiration date of products in supply chain modeling is essential for ensuring operational efficiency, reducing waste, maintaining product quality, and ultimately driving business success. Therefore, this paper provides a two-level supply chain including manufacturer and distributor then chain modeling with considered conditions and applying the concept of Markowitz's theory. Finally, drawing the optimal cost curve of producer and distributor as an efficient frontier. For this purpose, the main contribution of the paper is determining the optimal cost of each level of the chain if the cost of another level is known and increasing the power of analysis. The proposed model applied in Darupakhsh Manufacturing Company and Mahya Daroo Distribution Company, a two-echelon supply chain design, including a manufacturer and a distributor is developed. At first, this chain is modeled, and then, implementing the concept of Markowitz theory, the optimal cost curve of producer and distributor is drawn as an efficient frontier. Findings show it is found that the optimal cost of the two echelons of the chain is inversely correlated and decreases with the increase of another one. Furthermore, it is found that the producer warehouse limit is redundant and has no effect on the final response. Also, with the increase in the cost of the manufacturer, the number of deliveries decreases, and instead, the number of products in each delivery increases, which results in a reduction in the costs of the distributor.

IoT based Smart Trolley for Shopping using RFID and Node MCU

Customers are helped when shopping by the sophisticated shopping cart system. The goal of this proposed work is to create a hardware and software implementation of a modular, affordable, and user-friendly smart shopping system. This system may be tweaked, and dealers can begin using it right now. It tries to satisfy as numerous of the endconditions druggies as doable. Obviously, digital commerce is growing in vogue, but numerous consumers still need to see what they are purchasing and assimilate the various add-ons offered in the emporium. Still, in these situations, people are pressured to stay in lines that might grow rather long, and bearing in a line creates a variety of discomforts and pressure. Every item may be fixed with an accessible RFID label that, when inserted into a smart shopping cart, may be read automatically by a cart fitted with an RFID reader. This system can incorporate smart shelving, which has RFID scanners installed and can cover stock as well as update a central server. Another advantage of this technology is that it makes tally operations considerably simpler because an RFID reader can automatically read all effects and determine whether a product's expiration date has passed. The IoT website will be completely reconditioned.

A radio frequency identification based smart shopping trolley system for automated billing

On holidays and weekends, we can notice a large rush at shopping centres in metro areas. This is exacerbated when there are substantial discounts and deals. By applying the notion of internet of thing (IoT) for concerning all things in the grocery store, an automated smart shopping system is created. Each product within such scheme had an economical radio frequency identification (RFID) tag positioned with it. Once an item has been added to a smart cart, the information about the merchandise is quickly read by the RFID reader on the cart. The outcome is, direct invoicing is done out from shopping cart, saving clients from having to wait in a long line at the checkout. The product's expiration date is also displayed and broken products can be determined by their weight. As a result, expired and damaged products will not be taken into account when calculating the cost. Furthermore, this system gains the addition of smart shelves incorporating RFID readers which may check stock and possibly update a central server. Inventory control becomes simpler as a result. Finally, cashier stations could verify a customer's purchase. As a result, billing may be done right in the trolley, saving clients a lot of time.

Energy Recovery of Expired Pistachios From Pyrolysis and CO2-Assisted Gasification

Abstract The amount of food waste due to the product expiration date is growing globally each year. Although the expired food loses its nutritional and safe edible value, it still offers great energy conversion value. In this study, expired pistachios were pyrolyzed and gasified in a semi-batch reactor at temperatures of 873–1223 K. The gases components of the produced syngas were analyzed using a micro-gas chromatograph for the syngas yield, and gases mass flowrates as well as the energy of each component in the syngas were calculated. CO2 consumption from the gasification reaction at different temperatures was also evaluated. Experimental results showed that the syngas yield and syngas energy from pyrolysis and CO2-assisted gasification increased with the in-reaction temperatures. Higher reaction temperature resulted in a shorter reaction time for the evolution of the peak value of the syngas mass flowrate. During pyrolysis, the increase in temperature from 873 to 1223 K enhanced syngas yield by 8.6 times from 1.42 kJ/g to 13.62 kJ/g. However, during the CO2-assisted gasification, syngas energy increased from 5.43 kJ/g to 17.27 kJ/g in the temperature range of 973–1173 K. The CO2 consumption in the gasification of pistachio samples enhanced with the increase in reaction temperature. The mass of CO2 consumption at 1223 K was 0.67 g/g, which was 138 times higher than that of 0.005 g/g at 973 K. Furthermore, at the same temperature (1223 K), the syngas yield from gasification was 1.3 times higher than that from pyrolysis. Thus, higher temperatures promoted the reaction rate of gasification processes as well as the consumption of greenhouse gas (CO2). The CO2-assisted gasification technology is an effective pathway to convert expired food into clean sustainable energy.

High-Volume Platelet Distribution: Who Makes the Clinical Decision?

Abstract Anecdotally, many clinicians expect blood components to arrive in standard volumes. Blood components do not come in uniform sizes, however, and institutional experience has revealed platelet units to vary considerably in volume. Since many clinicians are not the ones examining blood products and their volumes prior to transfusion, there is a potential to transfuse a high-volume unit inadvertently to a patient at risk of transfusion-associated fluid overload (TACO), a leading cause of transfusion-related fatalities. The intent of this study was to examine the allocation practices of high-volume platelet units at an academic medical center. Over a six-month period, blood bank technical staff prospectively logged the allocation of high-volume apheresis platelet units with volumes greater than or equal to 400 mL. The staff member who issued the product logged the reason(s), if any, why he or she selected the unit for a particular patient when more than one ABO type-specific product was available. No patient identifiers or data were logged or analyzed in this study. Eighty-seven high-volume platelet units were recorded during the study period. The volumes ranged from 395 to 872 mL, with an average and standard deviation of 571 mL and 92 mL, respectively. Blood bank staff listed the following reasons for their allocation of high-volume platelet unit as follows: the product expiration date in 23 cases (26%), patient age in 13 cases (15%), patient sex in 12 cases (14%), and intraoperative use in 10 cases (11%). This study enumerated the variability in platelet unit volume, with some units containing likely double or triple the volume of the ordering clinicians expectations. Blood bank technologists made clinical decisions in the allocation of high-volume units in three-quarters of the documented cases. This underscores a need to provide clearly-defined guidelines for allocating such units, as well as a mechanism for clinicians to request lower-volume units, particularly for patients at risk of TACO.

Properties of De-Icing Agents for Use on Paved Airfield Pavements After Their Expiration Dates

Abstract The NO-17-A205:2017 “Airfield maintenance in winter. Use of de-icers. Requirements and tests” Military Standard is applicable at Polish Armed Forces airports in the process of winter maintenance of airport pavements, both in the process of supplying airports with de-icing agents based on acetates and formates, as in testing, acceptance and control of de-icing agents based on formates, acetates and urea. After the expiration date of product, the tests specified in NO-17-A205:2017 shall be repeated. Purpose of the research is to determine physico-chemical properties changes of de-icing agents applied on artificial airfield pavements, after its expiration dates. The results of research on physical and chemical parameters of de-icing agents obtained at the stage of delivery and after its expiration dates have been given. The tests included determination of appearance, density, refractive index and pH value measurement, as well as checking the freezing point temperature and, in the case of deicing agents in form of granulate, checking the granules size distribution. The requirements and test methods for deicing agents in accordance with NO-17-A205:2017 are also presented. In case of parameters changes, recommendations regarding further use of these agents shall be made. Positive tests results shall be the basis for extending the shelf life of de-icing products for the next winter season.

Implementasi Labelisasi Kedaluarsa Produk Pangan Industri Rumah Tangga (P-IRT)

Food product labeling is one of the policies to ensure the quality of food products consumed by the public. The labeling policy is regulated in PP no.69 of 1999. One of the labeling policies is the obligation of food producers to include the product expiration date. Almost every year, a lot of findings of food products, especially the results of household industrial food products (P-IRT). This study seeks to formulate why the implementation of the PIRT expiration labeling policy is still not optimal. From the results of the study it was found that several factors influenced the implementation of this policy. The first was PIRT certification, especially at the extension stage and producer location review. The second is the understanding of PIRT producers regarding the expiration labeling. The third is limited human and financial resources. Fourth, consumers' concern that is still lacking is mainly related to attention to the expired labels of food products they consume.

Perceptions of older consumers regarding food packaging as a prerequisite for its improvement: A case study of Polish market

AbstractIn many societies, the scale of demographic change associated with increased longevity has the potential to influence the market for consumer goods. As a result, continuous improvement in packaging design that takes into account the needs of older people should become an important challenge for both packaging producers and product manufacturers. Due to the fact that there is limited research concerning the design of food packaging for older people, the aim of the study was to identify the expectations of this group of consumers in this respect. Milk packaging was selected as a model subject of study. Factors influencing older consumers and their buying patterns when purchasing milk have been thoroughly examined. The research was conducted among people over the age of 60 with the use of three methods: a questionnaire (600 subjects), an in‐depth interview (60 subjects) and eye tracking (30 subjects). The results of the study show that older consumers have specific preferences regarding packaging type and design. When considering milk packaging, for example, they prefer glass bottles, simple graphics and font and subdued colours. They most frequently look for information concerning the product's expiration date, its producer's name and its composition. Eye tracking revealed that the older the consumers are, the more problems with finding expiration date they have. The time required to find such information, however, strongly depends on where exactly the expiration date is printed on the packaging. The preferred place in this case is the top of the bottle. Older consumers identify product's brand with the name of the producer. Moreover, the absence of the term ‘ingredients’: on the milk packaging oftentimes causes confusion among older people, who are concerned about potential food additive content.

Framework for analyzing the effects of packaging on food loss reduction by considering consumer behavior

In this study, we developed a framework to analyze the effects of highly functionalized packaging on food loss reduction by considering consumer behavior. The framework consists of two analyses. The first is a trade-off analysis to identify the balance between increased impacts caused by highly functionalized packaging and reduced impacts associated with food loss reduction. A novel indicator, the break-even rate of food loss, is defined to quantify the minimum food loss reduction required to recover the life cycle environmental impacts associated with the production of highly functionalized packaging. The second is a consumer behavior scenario analysis to evaluate variations in environmental impacts caused by the lifestyle and food consumption preferences of consumers. To verify the effectiveness of the framework, we conducted a case study of ham products marketed in Japan. In this case, two high functionalizations were selected to be reducing the product content volume and extending the product expiration date, compared with those of conventional packaging. The result indicated that high functionalization reduced food losses for some scenarios where people consume small quantities and discard food after the expiration date. Life cycle environmental impacts decreased as a result of food loss reduction except for the scenario where the food loss reduction was less than the calculated break-even rate of food loss. Thus, the framework can evaluate the effects of packaging on the food losses and environmental impacts for different consumer behaviors. The case study demonstrated the effectiveness of the framework to support the design and planning of food packaging for the reduction of environmental impacts and food losses.

A vendor-buyer supply chain model for time-dependent deteriorating item with preservation technology investment

This paper considers a two-echelon supply chain model with a single-vendor and a single-buyer who sells a single product which is deteriorating in nature. The deterioration rate increases with time and it also depends on the product's expiration date. The buyer invests capital to preserve the item and reduce deterioration cost. The demand at the buyer's end depends on the selling price. The vendor's production process is not perfectly reliable; it may shift from an in-control state to an out-of-control state at any random time during a production run and produce some defective (non-conforming) items. The vendor follows a lot-for-lot policy for replenishment made to the buyer. The average profit of the supply chain is derived and an algorithm for finding the optimal solution is developed. A numerical example is provided to validate the proposed model and examine the effectiveness of preservation technology investment. Sensitivity analysis is carried out to investigate the impacts of key model-parameters on optimal decisions.

부산지역 제과제빵종사자의 위생요인에 대한 중요도와 수행도 평가

본 연구는 부산시내 제과제빵 관련업계 종사자들을 대상으로 조사한 설문지 186부를 분석하여 현재 제과제빵종사자들에 대한 위생교육 실태와 제과제빵 위생요인의 중요도와 수행도에 대한 그들의 평가수준과 그 차이를 비교함으로써 제조 공정이나 특성이 다양한 제과제빵 분야에 적용할 수 있는 체계적인 위생관리의 도입과 종사자들의 효율적인 교육을 위한 기초자료를 얻고자 하였다. 제과제빵종사자들은 위생교육을 받은 적이 없는 종사자가 20.4%나 되었으며 주기적으로 받고 있는 종사자는 32.8% 정도였다. 위생교육이 주기적으로 이루어질수록 베이커리 현장에서 위생교육의 내용이 유의적인 차이를 나타내며(p＜0.05) 잘 적용되고 있었고 위생교육의 내용을 적용 못하는 이유로는 ‘시설설비부족’을 가장 크게 생각하고 있었다. 중요도 평가를 분석한 결과 제과제빵종사자들은 경력이 오래될수록 위생요인들에 대하여 중요하게 생각하는 경향을 나타내었는데 특히 검수 위생과(p＜0.05) 저장위생(p＜0.01) 요인에서 유의적인 차이를 나타내었으며 최고경영자의 중요도 점수가 검수위생(p＜0.05), 저장위생(p＜0.01), 전처리위생(p＜0.05), 제조위생(p＜0.05) 요인에서 기술자나 보조기술자들의 점수보다 유의적으로 높게 나타났다. 수행도 평가에서도 경력이 많은 제과 제빵종사자가 경력이 적은 종사자보다 검수위생과 저장위생 요인의 수행도를 유의적인 차이(p＜0.05)를 보이며 높게 평가하고 있었다. 위생교육경험에 따른 분석에서는 7가지 위생요인 모두에서 위생관리를 받은 종사자가 받지 않은 종사자보다 수행도를 높이 평가하고 있었는데 그중 검수위생과 전처리위생, 분배위생 요인에 대해 주기적으로 위생교육을 받은 종사자의 수행도 점수가 위생교육 경험이 없는 종사자의 수행도 점수보다 유의적인 차이(p＜0.05)를 보이며 높았다. 제과제빵 위생요인의 중요도와 수행도의 전체 평균은 4.05/5.00, 3.76/5.00이었으며 개인위생 요인의 중요도와 수행도 점수가 가장 높았다. 제과제빵종사자들이 평가하고 있는 중요도와 수행도의 평균 갭지수는 -0.30으로 그들이 중요하다고 인지하는 만큼 실제 현장에서는 수행이 잘 되지 않는 것으로 생각하고 있었다. 제과제빵종사자의 중요도와 수행도의 격자도 분석 결과 ‘신규 품목/업체 선정 시 시험 성적서와 원산지 증명서 확인’, ‘검수 시 냉장ㆍ냉동식품 온도 확인’, ‘외포장 제거 후 위생용기에 담아 냉장ㆍ냉동고 보관’, ‘창고의 적절한 온도, 수분, 통풍이 잘 되도록 유지’, ‘식자재의 전처리 시간과 제과제빵 공정시간의 구분’, ‘전용 칼, 도마의 분리사용’, ‘제품판매 시 소비자에게 취식완료시간 알림’, ‘적절한 위치에 세면대 구비’의 항목들은 중요도와 수행도가 모두 낮았으므로 특히 검토 후 인식의 전환과 적극적인 직무수행을 유도할 수 있도록 집중 관리되어야 하며 위생교육 시 이 항목들에 대한 강조가 필요하다. 제과제빵종사자들의 모든 위생요인의 중요도와 수행도 간에는 상관계수 0.6 이상의 높은 유의적인(p＜0.01) 양(+)의 상관관계를 나타내었으므로 제과제빵종사자들의 위생관리에 대한 중요도 인식의 향상을 통해 수행의지를 유도함이 중요하다.

Migration of bisphenol A from can coatings to liquid infant formula during storage at room temperature.

Information on migration of bisphenol A (BPA) from can coatings to foods during storage at room temperature is very limited, and the conclusions from the available studies are not always consistent. To investigate the effect of storage time on BPA migration from can coatings to liquid infant formula at room temperature, samples of 21 canned liquid infant formula products from different cans but the same lot as those analyzed for BPA previously were analyzed for BPA again after storage at room temperature for 10 months. Additional migration of BPA from can coatings to liquid formula during the 10-month storage period at room temperature was observed for 9 of the 21 products, with increases in BPA levels ranging from 29.8 to 110%. Significant differences between the 2007 and 2008 results (P = 0.026) were observed for only one brand of product, which had the lowest BPA levels in the 2007 survey. The BPA levels in the milk-based formula products analyzed in 2008 (mean, 6.8 ng/g) were significantly higher (P = 0.00023) than those in the milk-based formula products analyzed in 2007 (mean, 5.0 ng/g), whereas the differences in BPA levels between the soya-based formula products analyzed in 2008 (mean, 5.3 ng/g) and those analyzed in 2007 (mean, 5.8 ng/g) were not significant (P = 0.097). No obvious correlation between the product expiration date and the level of BPA migration from can coatings was observed.

Optimal ordering decision for deteriorating items with expiration date and uncertain lead time

The ordering policy for the retailers and the suppliers is a function of deterioration, product expiration date, the supplier's uncertain lead time, available capital constraint and the retailer's seasonal pattern demand. We develop a deteriorating inventory replenishment model of the system and present an algorithm to derive the retailer's optimal replenishment cycle, shortage period, order quantity and the supplier's managing cost. Numerical example and sensitivity analysis are given to illustrate the model.