Timestrip® has a new range of Food Temp™ indicators which have been specifically developed for food shipping and storage.

The newly designed temperature breach window on the Food Temp™ 5°C indicates breaches lasting between two to four hours.

Why 2 Hour – 4 Hours?

In the food industry, food with the potential to grow hazardous pathogens are kept safe from developing harmful levels of bacteria using a HACCP Plan with a 2 Hour - 4 Hour Rule.

If the food is exposed to a temperature breach for less than 2 hours, bacteria have not been developing quickly and can be returned to the safe temperature.

Users can see that the breach window on the Food Temp™ indicator has remained white and can return products to the safe temperature.

If exposed to breach temperatures above 2 Hours, but under 4 Hours- bacteria levels have begun to rapidly multiply but have not reached dangerously high levels.

When users see blue in the breach window, it will alert them they must use the food immediately and cannot be returned to storage.

After a 4 hour exposure to a temperature breach, bacteria have had the time to multiply to unsafe levels and cannot be consumed.

A completely blue window on a Food Temp™ indicator lets a user know that the food product is unsafe to use and must be immediately discarded.

For more information, see our Food Temp Indicator page.

Indications for Use: The Timestrip (R) Blood Temp 10 (BT10) blood bag indicator is a temperature-sensitive indicator that can be used by blood banks and transfusion services to maintain quality control in blood storage and transportation.

From Johns Hopkins Public Health Magazine

https://magazine.jhsph.edu/2015/fall/features/the-dream/index.html

Parker is a multinational company with over 58,000 employees worldwide and employee health and safety in the workplace is of primary importance. Parker has developed a series of initiatives aimed at promoting employee health, driven by Human Resources under the banner of Wellness, of which encouraging employees to drink more fresh water is key.

It is well recognized that the majority of adults drink insufficient water and should, throughout each day, drink up to 2 litres of water to stay hydrated. Moreover, drinking un-sweetened water helps cut intake of other less suitable liquids such as sugary, soft drinks with obvious health and dental benefits!

This specific initiative is so important to Parker that top management directly sponsor filtered drinking water solutions by employees in the workplace. The Parker Hiross Zander division, based in Padova, Italy, has been charged with promoting the installation and use of water fountain and drinking bottle systems for the 15,000 employees in over 100 sites in Europe, Middle East and Africa.

Access in the workplace to fresh, filtered water by employees is critical to encouraging drinking water. However, reducing plastic waste is also critical to Parker so we do not want to use water dispensers with large water bottles nor encourage the use of disposable plastic cups. This is why we have created a package of water fountains with built in filtration, which are to be piped to the mains water supply, combined with dedicated employee drinking bottles to provide an ecological drinking water system.

Access means that each Parker site is being encouraged to place water fountains where their employees actually work, in areas of frequent employee use, and not just in the canteen and next to the coffee machine. Site layout and employee working concentration defines where and how many fountains are needed!

Multiple filtered drinking solutions!

We have five versions available to allow sites to match versions to local country tastes and needs and all have built in active carbon and sediment filtration and Ultraviolet lamp anti-bacterial systems. For example, we have found that in our German sites the sparkling water (CO2) fountain is very popular whereas in our UK sites the HOT water fountain is very popular for making tea and other hot drinks.

For standard use we have a cold water and ambient water version and we also have a similar version without an internal tank to simplify maintenance. In case of no clean public water supply being available we have a reverse osmosis version. We also have an under the counter filtration system without refrigeration for use with kitchen sinks and there are stand alone filters to combat hard water and bacteria.

We also use a Timestrip enabled three month Parker service reminder key-fob for use with activated carbon filters and to encourage optimum hygiene of our Parker filtered drinking water fountains through quarterly filtration service calls using our unique Parker service reminder.

Hygiene: filtration changes!

Optimum hygiene is promoted through quarterly filtration service calls through the use of our unique Parker service reminder (right) which uses Timestrip technology based on ambient temperature and no batteries.

Reduce waste, improve health!

By making water convenient and easily accessible we are increasing the likelihood of employees consuming fresh, un-sweetened water. Paired with our Parker branded range of BPA-free plastic, transparent and fun to use 500ml water bottles, employees have a sustainable way of continually drinking water throughout the day.

By eliminating disposable plastic bottles, drastically cutting the use of disposable cups, and stop having to use large bottle dispensers which risk injuries and require space and handling as well as leasing costs, we also help cut plastic waste.

- Mark Harvey, Divisional Aftermarket and Technical Support Manager for Hiross Zander Division of Parker

A study published by the American Journal of Clinical Pathology found that temperature sensitive labels for monitoring blood can help hospitals and blood banks conform to the American Association of Blood Banks and US Food and Drug Administration standards for safe human blood transportation and storage.

Blood blood cell 30 minute rule

While many front-line teams rely on the "30 minute rule" for returning blood back into storage, using a temperature sensitive label can increase the safety of the blood life cycle, while reducing wastage.

They found:

"...these devices offer transfusion services an opportunity to develop and validate their own in-house procedures to supplement and, thereby, improve on decisions using the 30-minute rule. For example, if a unit of RBCs were overheated by placement on a hot surface (eg, microwave heater, radiator, or the top of a refrigerator) but returned within 30 minutes to the transfusion service, its potential unsuitability would not be identified by a transfusion service relying only on the 30-minute rule. However, such a potentially unsuitable unit would be likely to be recognized if a temperature-sensitive label had been in place.

Also, procedures can be developed to use temperature-sensitive labels to avoid unnecessary and costly discards of blood components when storage for more than 30 minutes outside a temperature-monitored refrigerator raises questions about suitability."

See how much you can save with our Cost Calculator and learn how Timestrip® can help you comply with temperature standards.

Read the rest of the original study here on medscape

The new  Blood Temp10 Blood Bag Indicator has been designed and manufactured by Timestrip® in response to the need to reduce wastage of precious blood stocks, discarded through uncertainty around temperature breaches incurred when bags are in use and removed from carefully controlled refrigeration storage units in blood banks.

The World Health Organisation estimates that over 100 million blood donations are  collected globally every year and it is generally accepted that 2% of blood may be discarded as a result of temperature ambiguity.  

Blood bag temperature labels

By adapting its highly accurate temperature monitoring technology Timestrip® has been able to make a small, finger pressure activated label that can be applied to blood bags the moment they are taken out of refrigeration units and packed into cool boxes for use by theatre technicians or emergency response teams.

Once active, the labels show clearly and irreversibly when the core temperature of individual blood bags has breached the regulatory 10ᵒC/50ᵒF temperature abuse point, which stipulates that blood cannot be returned to the blood bank for future use.

Frontline blood bank teams using  Timestrip Blood Temp10 indicators are able to reissue good blood stocks which would have otherwise been disposed of, safe in the knowledge that  bacterial growth due to elevated temperatures has not compromised the blood during storage, transportation and distribution.

Significantly for the teams handling blood bags, there are no pre-usage processes or secondary consumable materials required, as is the case with other more expensive products on the market.

Commenting on results from field trials using the new Blood Temp10 indicators, Caroline Pieters, Haemovigilance Nurse at the AZ St Lucas Hospital in Gent, said

“The Timestrip blood indicators have helped us identify critical control points within our cold chain process where we were at risk of temperature abuse. After identifying and fortifying some critical control points we have achieved a reduction of blood waste and we are confident in our ability to offer a safe blood supply to patients. We see Timestrip temperature indicators as a significant step forward in the handling and management of blood temperature throughout the blood supply chain.”

Timestrip® estimates that blood banks reducing loss rates by 8% will see a 100% return on an investment in the adoption of the new Blood Temp10 indicators and that a conservative 25% reduction could double the return on purchase costs.

Timestrip Sales & Marketing Director Dan Hafen is confident the new Timestrip Blood Temp10 will transform the supply chain, stating:

“With proper implementation we estimate that blood banks, transporters and transfusion service provider will achieve significant savings as a result of adopting our temperature indicators and I encourage everyone to use the ROI calculator on our website for an estimate on the potential savings relevant to their usage levels.

In addition, our Blood Temp10 provides auditable proof that blood has been stored, transported and reissued properly and according to relevant regulatory standards.”

One of France’s largest retailers – The Casino Group – has launched a new toothbrush range with the Timestrip® patented technology built into the grip, indicating when it’s time to replace the toothbrush.

The Casino Group has a reputation for innovation across its own-label ranges and has listed the new toothbrushes in over 100 stores across France, giving the range prominent fixture positions to highlight the launch.

The company has secured a valuable ‘first-to-market’ advantage with the adoption of the Timestrip technology. There is no other retailer or brand manufacturer offering customers in France the unique oral care benefits of a Timestrip toothbrush.

Replacement reminder for Toothbrushes

The brush design makes the complete cleaning regime much more effective and helps protect teeth and gums, whilst cleansing the tongue during brushing. The Timestrip technology is activated at the first use by simple finger pressure and reveals the word ‘Changer’ after three months have elapsed – the optimum replacement period according to experts.

Dental professionals advise changing your toothbrush every 2-3 months as old toothbrushes do not remove plaque as effectively and bacteria can build up leading to dental problems such as gum disease.

In fact a new toothbrush is 95% more effective at removing plaque than a 3 month old brush, according to the British Dental Health Foundation.

The Timestrip® team are confident that the new Casino toothbrush range will increase repeat purchase levels whilst delivering dental health benefits for their customers as a result of a better oral care hygiene regime.