At your typical supermarket, you may notice a variety of refrigerated displays at work as they showcase a variety of products. But which type is better? The answer is more complicated than just one style over another, as each has benefits and drawbacks that suit different products better.

In this article, we look at some of the most common supermarket products and which display type best suits their needs. Keep reading to learn how to best display your products to customers.

Baked Goods

While most supermarkets don't refrigerate bread and bagels in the bakery section, pastries like cakes and cupcakes need to be kept cool to maintain their frosted shapes. While some supermarkets will put these behind insulated panels, most supermarkets opt for open-air refrigerators to display these baked goods and give the customer a better view.

Because the cakes are typically covered by a clear plastic casing, there's little danger of contaminants infecting the cakes despite the open-air arrangement. You also don't want to get cake too cold or it will lose moisture, so the loss of refrigerated air isn't a problem in this case either.

Beverages

Supermarkets are often split on how they display juice, milk, and other beverages. Some opt for open-air displays, while some places use insulated panel displays. On the one hand, open-air displays can be more inviting to customers and make the beverages seem closer and more appealing. On the other, you can lose a lot of refrigeration quickly without those insulated panels.

The best option really boils down to safety. While beverages like juice and soda can be preserved at higher temperatures than insulated panels provide, perishable items like milk should be kept behind insulated panels. Juice has sugar and acids that act as natural preservatives, while milk can curdle if left in the wrong temperature range.

Eggs and Dairy Products

While the storage temperature of milk should be closely regulated, supermarkets have a little more leeway with other dairy products such as cheese and yogurt. While you must keep them cool, the active bacteria in these products are actually good and help provide their nutritional value and flavor. These products are generally safe in open-air displays for customers to browse through.

Eggs, however, are a different story. While many countries store their eggs at room temperatures, the U.S. errs on the side of caution and stores eggs at reduced temperatures to prevent the eggs from sweating and allowing pathogens through the shell. Even though open-air displays are considered safe, your customers may appreciate more secure egg storage with insulated panels.

Frozen Foods

If you have a massive amount of frozen products that you want to display all at once, you may consider a special cold storage area for customers to enter. This allows you to leave your products lined up outside of panels and instead just lower the temperature of the surrounding space. However, this comes with a lot of drawbacks compared to insulated panels.

One is that your customers won't want to linger in cold storage. The freezing temperatures will encourage them to get in, get what they need, and get back out again, especially if they didn't bring a coat. Maintaining the temperature of a cold storage area can also be particularly tricky, despite the use of plastic barriers and insulation.

Even if you have a lot of frozen foods you want to display all at once, insulated panels are generally more customer-friendly and control the temperature better. If you simply don't have room to store all of your frozen foods behind panels, consider keeping the freezer stock limited in the displays and frequently refill from cold storage that only employees enter.

As you consider insulated panels versus open-air displays, the most important aspect is the ideal temperature for the product in comparison to comfortable customer temperatures. You don't want to freeze out your customers at the expense of more open and inviting displays, but you certainly can't compromise on the safe storage of your products.

When the difference in customer over product temperatures is too great, opt for insulated panels. Contact A M Refrigeration Service to learn more.