When American consumers sit down to enjoy a nice meal at a restaurant or their dining room table, they don’t want to worry that the food they’re about to eat might be contaminated.
That’s why transporting, storing and distributing temperature-controlled cargo (produce, perishable, seafood and 
frozen foods) from source to shelf is a top priority for food manufacturers, distributors and supply chain managers.
In fact, safe food storage and transport is more critical than ever before for the food and beverage supply chain. In the wake of many recalls, the safety of the nation’s food supply has become a hot topic. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that one in six Americans – get sick from foodborne illness every year. Reducing that count by just 10 percent would keep five million people healthier.
To combat foodborne illnesses, the government signed the FDA Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) into law in 2011. The most sweeping reform of its kind in more than 70 years, the law aims to make the U.S. food supply safer. So how does that impact food and beverage manufacturers, distributors and supply chain managers? It means the responsibility is on them to prevent weak links in the “cold chain.”
Fortunately, there are steps you can take to optimize your supply chain, minimize risk, improve transparency across handoffs and maximize safety. The first step is knowing what can go wrong, where it can go wrong and then improving safety measures to ensure it doesn’t.
Do you know the weak links in your cold chain? Here’s where to look:
- Food storage: Are your storage facilities, warehouses and distribution centers properly refrigerated? Are you maintaining the prescribed temperature range for fresh produce, meats and seafood? Failure to do so can result in significant penalties as a major foodservice provider recently discovered after authorities found that it had been improperly storing perishable foods. The fine totaled nearly $20 million. Storing perishables in refrigerated facilities and regulating temperature will keep food fresh and money in your pocket.
- Transportation: Keeping food safe means maintaining temperatures at an appropriate range for every shipment. Grocers want products on shelves during peak periods, not on trucks. Keeping transit time to a minimum is critical to food safety and quality. The same goes for foodservice providers that want high-quality food delivered in a timely fashion. This means having the appropriate vehicles in your fleet. Loading is another consideration for cool cargo and fresh produce. Temperature and humidity requirements add complexity to load planning that isn’t always accounted for. Make sure you factor in quality requirements when arranging loads. Failure to do so can result in loss, waste or compromised safety.
- Temperature monitoring and alarm technology: This is one of the most critical components in a safe and sound cold supply chain. As a supply chain manager, this means managing temperature levels across every point of interchange in the supply chain: supplier, packaging center, distribution center, retailer, and in-transit, loading, unloading, storage and distribution. Have active monitoring technology in place to prevent temperature fluctuations that can negatively impact product quality. Know what your monitoring capabilities and gaps are.
- Packaging: Keeping perishables, meats and seafood fresh means packaging them to minimize touches and exposure to transport conditions. This is a key element in protecting food from external hazards, contamination and damage in-transit from source to table. A “good” package is physically and chemically stable across the designated temperature range.Not sure if your packaging is going the distance? Contract packers and co-pack operations can have a major impact on processes, safety and quality management. A reliable partner can help you package products to ensure that contents arrive in optimal condition. They also can monitor the effectiveness of different types of packaging and offer alternatives to prevent future damage.
- Failure to comply with regulations: The FSMA requires shippers to transport perishables in temperature-controlled trucks with on-board sensors. Temperatures must be monitored from the time products leave manufacturing facilities to the time they’re placed on shelves. Food shippers are subject to more inspections, record-keeping and testing. The FSMA isn’t the only compliance requirement. The Sanitary Food Transportation Act requires shippers, motor vehicles and rail vehicle carriers to use sanitary transportation practices. The key is to know all food-related regulations and how to comply with them.
Do you know the risks associated with storing, transporting and delivering fresh, frozen and perishable foods? Do you have the right equipment to maintain safe temperatures across every link in your supply chain – from manufacture to transport, storage, packaging and delivery?
Written by Steve Alberda. Steve is Director of Safety and Health at Ryder System, Inc. He is an occupational safety and food safety & defense professional with 33 years of experience. Throughout his career, Mr. Alberda has played an active role in occupational safety and health, food processing operations, food safety and food defense.
