What is the Cold Chain Anyway?
The cold chain is simply defined as a low-temperature-controlled supply chain! It is the managerial process for moving fresh and frozen foods from point A to point B without degradation.
Why the Cold Chain?
Many kinds of food must be stored and shipped at low temperatures to extend shelf life, preserve freshness, and maximize value. Some foods, such as fresh produce, require handling at constant temperatures to ensure freshness and quality throughout their journey.
Did you know Canadian grocery distribution chains routinely receive dozens of trucks a day of fresh produce? Some are from as far away as California, Florida, and Mexico – all year round! Canadians rely heavily on transport companies specializing in cold chain logistics. Without them, fresh fruit and vegetables would never be in the local grocery store in the winter months.
When shipping temperature-sensitive products across the country, they must arrive in the same condition they were sent. This may seem straightforward but can be highly challenging. From an operational standpoint, Cold Chain Logistics is a balancing act. How so?
Cold chain managers focus on three operational fundamentals, namely:
- Load integrity
- Transport integrity
- The “conditional demand” for the products being transported
1. Load Integrity
Directly relates to the load conditions to maintain ‘product value’ during transport. It can include adequate packaging and packing and the conditioning required before transport—for example, pre-washing or cooling down. Refrigerated trailers or “reefers” maintain load integrity while in transport as they can accommodate a wide range of temperature-sensitive products. This includes constant chilled temperatures for many fresh and frozen food products and heat when preventing food from freezing in frigid climates. Since the “reefer” is widely known and used, it has become the industry’s standard for a temperature-controlled transport unit. Yes, there are other temperature-controlled transport vehicles, but all are compared to the reefer.
2. Transport Integrity
Is described as the tasks and safeguards performed to ensure the temperature-controlled environment remains constant. Temperature-controlled environments in reefers or other refrigerated containers can be breached anytime during transport, including at the terminal or distribution centers involved in the cold-transport chain. High-value loads such as chilled pork or fish demand stringent protocols to guarantee transport integrity. This includes specialized containers or reefers and terminal facilities designed to support cold chain logistics. Such facilities have a temperature-controlled cross-dock (as low as -1°C) with extra curtains to maintain the desired temperature at the dock level as well as, immediate access to freezers and coolers.
Ultimately, the continuous and accurate temperature assessment of the load is the only way cold chain managers can guarantee transport integrity. Today’s technology facilitates the real-time temperature of the load, immediately notifying the operator of significant temperature deviations.
3. Conditional Demand for a product at a market (or place of consumption)
Each product has a different tolerance for temperature variation, which changes when looking at a full load vs. a partial load or single pallet. For frozen meat or other frozen loads, the value drops to zero if the shipment has been thawed if the product can no longer be used. Other products, such as produce (fruits & vegetables), decline in value to the level of spoilage that took place during transit.
In conclusion, load and transport integrity can be set up and monitored through strict managerial processes, balanced by the conditional demand for the products transported.
What does this mean? It may be okay to open the reefer door between point A and point B if the cargo integrity can be maintained. In contrast, suppose the reefer is loaded with insulin from a pharmaceutical manufacturer earmarked for human diabetes patients? In this case, there will be very little tolerance for variations away from optimal temperature requirements between points A and B. Even a small change in temperature for a short period of time could jeopardize the entire load.
New technology has made load and transport integrity easier to achieve. Temperature cables and probes within the load send the real-time temperature to the driver’s phone in addition to the carrier company, producer, and customer creating transparency.
