Crossroads launched the Green Mark project into commercial operation

2021: Launch of the Green Label Project

The Perekrestok trading network launched the Green Label project for additional control over the freshness of goods. As part of the implementation, 10 million freshness marks will be installed on the finished products of the X5 kitchen factory. This was announced by X5 Retail Group on April 13, 2021.

The "green mark" as of April 2021 is applied to 38 items of finished products, which are delivered to 460 supermarkets of the Central chain. Russia By the end of 2021, it is planned to increase the range with labels to 100 items. Thanks to a special indicator that is located on the packaging of the goods, it is possible to check the freshness and compliance with the storage conditions of a particular product and understand the real remaining shelf life. The project is implemented jointly with. As startup Evigence part of the joint production, four product packaging lines were equipped with applicators for labeling. On average, 30 marks are set every minute.

During the pilot's time, which has been held since November 2020, the design of the labels themselves was changed: the graphic scheme was replaced with an image of leaves, thanks to which the design became more understandable to the buyer. A scheme for changing the color of the leaf was also worked out depending on the shelf life of the product - 3 days or 5 days. Also, Crossroads and Vision are conducting tests that will allow new color solutions for consumers to be used in the label: from perfectly green to yellowish - depending on the remaining shelf life and storage conditions. The need for testing is due to the specificity of the chemical composition of the label.

{{quote 'The pace of life is accelerating, and finished food occupies an increasingly significant place in the diet of customers who are accustomed to high quality products. Introducing a freshness guarantee based on an independent sensor that remembers everything that happened with the storage conditions of the product - we provide the buyer with a different level of quality and openness, which will increase confidence in our products and brand. Investment in buyer confidence is the best investment that will pay off many times in the medium term through the growth of traffic and NPS. We plan to develop the Green Mark, improving the technology and expanding not only the range of products with a freshness identifier, but also the geography of the implementation of this initiative, "said Tatyana Rakhmanova, managing director of X5 Ready Food. }}

Visibility tags optimize the life of the product on the shelf using a sensor in an adapted design that is attached directly to the package. The color of the label, which varies depending on the temperature adjustment over time, shows the current level of freshness of the product to both the customer and the store staff, "comments Danny Hakoen, vice president of business development at Eviance Sensors.

For each product, the label is programmed for its shelf life and storage temperature. The label changes its color if the actual shelf life comes to an end or the storage conditions are broken. Before application to the package, the substance inside the label is activated by a special device.

The use of dynamic freshness indicator technology allows you to independently control the quality and storage conditions of products both by the personnel of the retail network and by customers, which in turn will increase the level of confidence of customers in the products of the finished food factory X5 and will positively affect the NPS category "ready food" in the retail network.

2020: Implementation of the product expiration control system based on special labels

On December 1, 2020, Perekrestok announced that it had introduced a shelf life control system based on special labels. The Green Label project will be launched for 300 Smart Kitchen X5 products, which are delivered to 460 supermarkets of the chain. The solution allows you to independently control the quality and storage conditions of products both by the personnel of the retail network and by the customers themselves, displaying on the indicator the actual temperature history of each specific package and compliance with the storage conditions.

Crossroads introduced a system for monitoring the shelf life of goods based on special labels

According to the company, the project is being implemented together with the startup Vision Sensors. "Crossroads" owns exclusive rights to use Eviance tags in Russia.

For each product, the label is programmed for its shelf life and storage temperature. The label changes its color if the actual shelf life comes to an end or the storage conditions are broken. Before application to the package, the reagent inside the tag is activated by a special device. If the ambient temperature during storage, transportation or sale on the store shelf is higher than the standard, then the real shelf life of the product will "expire" faster than printed on the package, which will display a graphic indicator on the label.

The first stage of piloting has already been completed - the technical indicators, the accuracy of the indicators in different temperature conditions, the operation of the commodity cold chain at all stages of production and storage have been checked, an assessment of the potential write-off of products by labels has been carried out - it turned out to be minimal. The developers, together with the Crossroads team, made sure that the equipment needed to apply labels to the package can be organically integrated into the Smart Kitchen X5 production process.

Using the technology of visual control of freshness labels will increase the level of confidence of customers in Smart Kitchen X5 products and will positively affect the NPS of ready-made food in the network. Thermometers allow the buyer to independently control the shelf life of the goods, check that the storage and transportation conditions were in accordance with the standards and were not violated.

The introduction of labels will strengthen control over the supply chain and storage conditions, the solution will optimize the operational processes in the store - employees will have an additional opportunity to check the freshness and signal in order to remove the goods from the shelf. noted Dmitry Medvedev, commercial director of the Perekrestok trading network

Visibility tags optimize the life of goods on the shelf due to the "smart" design and functionality. The change in color of the label, which occurs based on temperature and time, tells both the store employee and the buyer about the actual freshness of the product. said Danny Hakoen, Development Director, Eviance Sensors