Everything about the Food Cold Chain and the Transportation of Perishable Goods

FOOD COLD CHAIN AND PERISHABLE GOODS

Food and products for human consumption are particularly sensitive goods that must be treated accordingly in the transport process. At EccoFreight we are committed to always offering solutions adapted to each cargo and project, and that is why today we tell you everything you need to know about the food cold chain and the transportation of perishable goods.

Transport regulations for perishable goods

In 1976, the Agreement on the International Carriage of Perishable Foodstuffs and on the Special Equipment to be Used for such Carriage (ATP), developed by the United Nations and aimed at providing legislative measures on the proper treatment and transport of perishable goods, entered into force. This agreement, to which around 50 countries had already signed up by 2016, provides specific guidelines to be followed by logistics companies and forwarders to ensure that the product is in good condition at all times.

The agreement establishes which vehicles and transport units are approved for the transport of perishable products, which are divided into insulated units, refrigerated units, mechanically refrigerated units and heated units.

In addition, the agreement provides guidelines for the analysis and control of such units before starting the transport process, as well as periodic reviews. One of the main criteria when carrying out control and review of transport units is temperature, a crucial factor for the proper preservation of perishable products.

What is a perishable product and at what temperature should it be stored?

There are certain groups of foods and products intended for human consumption that are particularly sensitive and that must be kept in optimal conditions throughout the entire transport process, always taking into account the nature of each product. Below you can check the list of perishable products and their optimum storage temperatures as specified in the agreement:

Ice cream -20°C
Frozen or deep-frozen fish, mollusks, crustaceans -18°C
Deep-frozen products -18°C
Frozen butter -10°C
Other frozen products -12°C
Red meat offal +3°C
Butter +6°C
Game meat +4°C
Milk in tanks +4°C
Industrial milk +6°C
Refrigerated dairy +4°C
Fish, mollusks and crustaceans On melting ice or equivalent temperature
Meat and meat preparations (excluding red meat offal) +7°C
Poultry and rabbit meat +4°C

 

How to ensure that the goods are always in optimum condition

When transporting products for human consumption that require a specific temperature, loading and unloading operations play an essential role.

It is key to speed up the loading and unloading of this type of cargo as much as possible in order to prevent the storage temperature from changing and causing damage to the product.

Fernando Giménez-Guervós, CEO of EccoFreight, reminds us that “making sure that the containers are always in optimal conditions is key to ensure that the cargo is not affected by odors or contamination, and guaranteeing that the containers reach the optimum food grade level.

That’s why our Eccontainercare service is here to help, providing an exhaustive analysis to ensure that the container is perfectly suitable for your cargo. We make sure that your goods always travel in the safest conditions so that you don’t need to worry about anything: our services is backed by more than 25,000 inspections successfully completed.

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