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Dough Keeps Rising For Bakers With New Lighting Technology

A high-tech retail lighting company is giving baked goods a fresh new look and bakers an increase in consumer purchases.

Jamie Orr Regional Sales Manager for Promolux Inc., says Promolux lighting offers tremendous advantages to bakery displays by presenting true and vibrant colors for fruit fillings like strawberries, cherries, apricots and kiwis, as well as for dark chocolate and white whipped cream.

"In bakery displays ultraviolet radiation (UV) exposure from general-purpose lamps causes surface fading, discoloration as well as drying from the evaporation of moisture in the product," says Orr. "Promolux lamps are designed to filter out 86 per cent of ultraviolet radiation normally emitted by general-purpose lamps.

Most bakers admit their lighting is too warm through heat and UV radiation causing chocolates to change in appearance from a bright glossy fresh look to a dull faded look, the company says. The effects of the UV result in a discoloration of cake decorations and a general warming of the contents within the display case, and ice cream cakes will show freezer burn.

Promolux provides bakery managers with many advantages including less product spoilage and an increase in customer eye appeal which impacts directly on consumer impulse buying.

"Many bakery departments have noticed that with Promolux there is a net gain of shelf life by up to 50 per cent depending on each products composition," says Orr.

A decrease in premature shrinkage and discoloration can boost profit margins in a bakery department, and this is easily achieved by replacing display case light bulbs with Promolux. The company explains Promolux lamps are specifically designed for specialized areas such as displays of baked goods. They provide a perfect balance of color output to reveal the highest contrast for each and every shade of natural color that exists in bakery display.

"Today, consumers are demanding premium quality freshness, and if they don't find it in your baked goods display cases, they'll not purchase," he says. "Upgrading your lighting display cases to our Promolux specialty lamps will save you money by increasing shelf life and by increasing consumer impulse purchases."

Orr adds that bakery managers consider Promolux an ideal investment since in many cases extended shelf life alone will pay for the bulbs in a few weeks through reduced shrinkage and increased sales.

Promolux was established in Europe for more than twenty years and for fifteen years in North America through its Canadian subsidiary, MGV Inc. Promolux manufactures lamps for many markets, in North America and abroad, so worldwide standards are maintained.

Promolux lamps are multi-coated with rare earth phosphors that are most often found in television picture tubes coating. It is a more expensive coating process than used in making fluorescent lamps. Additional special coatings are used to control UV radiation and to protect the lamps from changing their faithful color reproduction. Additional technical information is available on the Promolux website at http://www.promolux.com.