Released on = June 21, 2006, 9:52 am

Press Release Author = David Stuart / General Graphic.com

Industry = Retail

Press Release Summary = Grocery stores carry wide varieties of food products,
ranging from meat and cheese to potato chips and crackers. How does that keep food
from spoiling?

Press Release Body =
KAYSVILLE, Utah, June 20, 2006 - Shelf life of food is short if food is not properly
prepared. Bacteria eventually set in and food spoils. Spoiled food is not only
dangerous and repulsive to people, but costs stores money in lost goods. Certain
methods, apart from chemical preservatives, have been created to help cut down on
the amount of time it takes for bacteria, fungus and more to set in.

The most common method for preserving food is the refrigerator. Refrigerators have
helped extend the life of food not only in stores, but in homes as well. The cold
temperatures make it hard for bacteria to grow. Refrigerators are especially
effective with milk, cheese products and other goods. The down side is that
refrigerators cost a lot of money to run. If it were more cost-effective, everything
would be in refrigerators. Some stores in remote locations are unable to use any
type of refrigeration. Because it is not cost-effective, other methods have been
created to help preserve food. One of these methods is the vacuum sealer.

Vacuum sealers encapsulate products in airtight plastic that helps prevent bacteria
growth and preserves food. When a product is placed in the vacuum bag, the air is
removed and the end is sealed, preventing air from rushing back in. The end result
can be placed on a shelf, hung on a wall or stored in another location. For added
safety, many factories and stores will shrink wrap dairy products such as cheese, or
meat products and then place them in a refrigerator for added shelf life.

Chamber vacuum sealers are especially popular. When a product is placed in a chamber
sealer, the air is removed from the entire chamber. Once the bag is sealed, the air
in the chamber returns back to normal. Because the bag is sealed in an airtight
environment, air cannot enter the sealed bag as the chamber is normalized. Chamber
sealers allow the amount of removed air to vary from no air to 99.9 percent,
depending on the machine. This is ideal for delicate products like potato chips. If
99.9 percent of the air is removed from a bag of potato chips, the chips would be
crushed.

With delicate products, the amount of air removed is reduced. This protects the
delicate food product. Nitrogen air tanks can be attached to most chamber vacuum
sealers, replacing the oxygen with another gas that has better preserving
properties. Although some bacteria do not require oxygen to survive, most bacteria
is wiped out when the oxygen is swapped out for nitrogen.

General Graphic now carries a wide variety of vacuum sealers. You can see what some
of these machines look like by going here:
http://www.generalgraphic.com/vacuum_sealers.htm. Vacuum sealers vary in size and
capabilities. Smaller sealers can be commonly found in home use, where larger
chamber sealers are typically used on a more industrial level.

For further information, please contact David Stuart, Marketing Supervisor of
General Graphic, 1-888-346-9184, info@generalgraphic.com.

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Web Site = http://www.generalgraphic.com

Contact Details = David Stuart
1142 West Flint Meadow Drive
P.O. Box 829
Kaysville, UT 84037
Phone 1-801-927-3038
Fax 1-801-927-3037
dstuart@generalgraphic.com