Timestrip Plc is pleased to announce that 3663 First for Foodservice, the UK’s leading foodservice distributor, is now stocking and distributing the Timestrip smart labeling system, part of the unique food safety labeling range offered to customers throughout the UK.

Timestrips are patented disposable smart labels that monitor how long a product has been open or how long it has been in use.  They can measure elapsed time from minutes up to over a year.

Over recent months Timestrip Plc has been working with a number of contract caterers who supply services to the UK care home and education sectors.  These trials have confirmed that Timestrip is a marked improvement to existing food safety systems, which typically involve either hand-written labels or the application of colour-coded labels. By contrast, there was no ambiguity over product life with Timestrip, and labour time was significantly reduced. Moreover Timestrip dramatically reduced levels of food waste and achieved net cost savings in the kitchen by enabling staff to effectively apply “first in first out” principles.

Caterplus Services Limited is the largest privately owned provider of catering and hotel services to the care market and trialed the Timestrip system in a number of key sites.  Sales director Ian Clementson, commented:  “We pride ourselves on producing fresh meals every day on our client sites. We are always looking for innovative products that we feel really benefit our clients and their residents. We have rigorously trialed the Timestrip system over recent months, having adopted it in a number of trial sites. We believe that Timestrip complements our existing safety policies and can provide real benefit in further assuring food safety.  We plan to implement Timestrip across our portfolio of care homes and educational establishments in the UK.  Timestrip is a very effective system that makes economical sense and helps us in our provision of great and safe food to residents.”

In response to the success of trials with large contract catering companies such as Caterplus Services, 3663 will list a full range of Timestrips with dispensing system, providing nationwide availability not just for health and education customers but also for hotels, restaurants and quick service restaurant chains.

Reuben Isbitsky Joint CEO, Timestrip Plc, comments:  “The Food Standards Agency (FSA) highlights the need for protecting the elderly and children from food poisoning, and health and education managers recognise that such incidences can be catastrophic for their reputations.  We have been testing the Timestrip proposition in this sector with leading companies such as Caterplus Services and have now shown, through our customers’ experiences, that Timestrip not only enhances food safety but also provides a return on investment through the savings generated by waste reduction.  We believe that this dynamic proposition, coupled with availability through 3663 will lead to widespread adoption in the UK, and serve as a springboard for our international sales effort.”