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Lidl with 172 stores in Finland is now launching Tempix technology throughout their own fresh fish brand called ISOKARI. Full implementation will be carried out before the end of this year.

– Tempix is about food safety to the masses. Billions of smart labels constantly monitoring the temperature on every single package out there. This is Tempix vision. I’m both happy and proud that we have now reached this historic milestone together with Lidl. Let’s realize and announce that this is a result of many years persistent and hard work performed by many stakeholders, Marko Arola, the CEO of Tempix states.

– We looked at the retailers in the Nordic region and discovered the excellent cold chain work done by Lidl Finland.

– Tempix smart labels never sleeps and detects temperature abuse on every single package, Arola continues. It is around 1,5 years back we started monitoring ISOKARI salmon fillets with a neutral unprinted smart label and the results were impressive from day one. Their centralized supply chain structure and temperatures in both refrigerators and freezers are kept at a very low and safe level in their stores. They are also stacking their packages at a limited height which keeps the products properly cooled inside the refrigerators. Their consistent store infrastructure with lid covered fridges and standardized cold chain routines made them our preferred forerunner.

– Lidl Finland deserves all the credit they can get because Tempix smart label makes it impossible to sell the products if there is not enough “cold chain time” left for the consumers’ home journey from the shop. This is what true food safety means to me as a consumer, Arola concludes.

Tempix is a Swedish privately-owned company based in Gävle Sweden. Tempix has an awarded packaging technology (Scanstar 2012, World star 2013 winner). Tempix has a worldwide patented solution for securing the cold chains for food, pharmaceuticals and other products. The Tempix system includes a temperature sensitive smart label that can be used on consumer or transport packages. The settings of the label can be tailor made depending on the specific requirements of different products.
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Angelica Ström
Business Administration, Tempix AB, Gävle Sweden

Press release, March 6, 2018
Lidl is the first retailer of fresh fish in Finland to secure their cold chains with smart labels.

Quality assurance is done by the technology of the Swedish company Tempix. The smart labels will monitor the quality of the cold chain, make it more transparent and easier to control. In the near future, Lidl’s own brand will use these labels on all its fresh fish products.

The labels containing a small amount of liquid are located next to the barcode. The liquid reacts to temperature changes and if the product has been in a too warm temperature for too long the liquid destroys the barcode.

-The bar code becomes unreadable for our cash registers and does not approve the product being sold if the cold chain has been broken, explains Thomas Heinrichs, chief of Lidl purchasing department.

Lidl is the first Finnish fish retailer to introduce smart labels on its fish products. Heinrichs tells us that Lidl wants to increase product safety and make the cold chain easier to follow.

-Packaged fish is a safer choice compared than fish purchased from the fish dish as packaged fish are protected from impurities throughout the supply chain. The final day of consumption is clearly marked. With these smart labels, consumers can also be sure that the cold chain is unbroken, says Heinrichs.
Fresh salmon fillet of Lidl’s own ”Isokari” brand was the first product to be equipped with Tempix smart labels. Next up is ”Isokari smoked salmon” and ”Isokari sliced”.

-Our goal is to equip the majority of the fish products from Isokari with the Tempix smart labels before the end of this year, Heinrichs says.
Customers can recognize products equipped with the technology, from the small extra label besides the barcode and from the more visible ”Kylmää kyytiä kalallesi” (Cold Trip for the Fish) label.

-This is just the beginning and in future we are probably going to see a lot of smart solutions which are going to benefit our customers, continues Heinrichs.
For more information: PR Contact Anna Rissanen, Lidl Finland Ky, tel (09) 2345 6400, media@lidl.fi.
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Lidl is one of Europe’s largest food chains (10 000 stores), and in Finland there are currently 172 stores from Hanko to Sodankylä. Lidl Suomi Ky employs 5,200 people and offers career opportunities both in Finland and abroad. Lidl belongs to Lidl & Schwarz Group who established their first supermarket in southwest Germany in the 1930s. The first Lidl store were opened in the 1970s in Germany and the international expansion began in the 1990s. Lidl’s business is based on a clear and simple concept that enables a combination of high quality and low-cost products. Lidl stores are found in almost all European countries. The company functions as independent subsidiaries in the countries. The first Lidl store in Finland opened August 29, 2002.