A prevailing trend in the cold chain is the focus on quality and product sensitivity. With an increase in demand for premium products, shippers must maintain the integrity of these loads.
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change in temperature may jeopardise the quality and taste of these goods. Not only do shippers, loaders and receivers need to ensure the temperature settings are correct for transport and arrival, but they also have to combat: • Exterior heat — When temperatures increase outside, the metal of trailers absorbs this heat and transfers it inside. Reefers must be calibrated to handle heat increase or spoilage will occur. • Residual heat — Once heat rises within a trailer, it tends to remain. The insulating materials within work together with the load to capture and radiate the heat within. • Infiltration heat — Any opening or holes within a trailer allow for warm air to enter and cold air to exit, increasing the likeliness of spoilage. • Respiratory heat — Natural heat produced by product respiration is standard. However, certain products give off more than others. Respiration can be mitigated by keeping these items at cool temperatures. However, if your trailer is compromised, your delivery will be, also. If these types of heat issues end up compromising the shipment, they become known as ‘excursions’. Excursions are typically unwanted temperature events that occur during manufacturing, storage, transportation and distribution. 12
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When these events occur, they must be properly recorded for official record keeping. This process is both time consuming and labour intensive. Typically, a member of Quality Assurance (QA) will begin to collect all required data, determine if the parties involved addressed the data outcome and whether or not the information was recorded correctly. While this synopsis of the process portrays it to be brief, the reality is that this process can take up to 30-plus days to complete. The amount one excursion event can cost a business is staggering. Consider this: 5–10% of shipments experience excursions. So depending on the volume of shipments a business does each year, these costs can quickly add up to an exorbitant amount, further hurting profitability. However, the loss of product quality isn’t the only issue an excursion may cause. They also increase the odds of product recalls and food waste.
Recalls Inconsistent temperature monitoring not only damages products, but the bottom line, too. For a more informative view, examine food recalls. Since recalls are mandated by regulatory requirements, they prevent human and financial disasters that would have occurred otherwise. The impact of those food recalls is widespread and costly. In a survey of 36 major
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BULK HANDLING, STORAGE & LOGISTICS
The rigours of transporting food safely