How to Master Temperature Control in the Food Supply Chain
Temperature control is pivotal to preserving food quality. Any semblance of oversight or mismanagement can have lasting consequences for food distribution and storage facilities and warehouses, compounding the spoilage, waste and foodborne illness issues affecting the global economy.
For supply chain professionals, mastering temperature control is a compliance imperative. It’s also essential for preserving brand integrity and trust among suppliers or consumers, given their responsibility in upholding food standards, safety etiquette and a competitive edge. Temperature control is about ensuring that food items stay cold and reach their destination in the best possible condition. If that doesn’t happen, the consequences can be particularly severe.
The global cold chain logistics market, valued at $436.3 billion globally (and which is predicted to reach a $1.35 trillion valuation by 2034, expanding at a CAGR of 13.46%), demonstrates the importance of managing temperatures throughout the food supply chain at every stage. This process presents specific challenges that must be carefully navigated to ensure food arrives at each final destination just as intended.
Ingredient Sourcing and Production
Temperature control vigilance must begin at the point of origin. Whatever the source, whether it’s a dairy farm, vegetable patch, or seafood processing facility, maintaining optimal conditions from the moment of production is essential. Fresh produce respires immediately after harvest, generating heat from the atmosphere that accelerates its decay, so bacteria begins to proliferate within hours if not properly contained, chilled, or stored.
At this stage, responsible supply chain personnel must work closely with producers to ensure the placement of adequate pre-cooling equipment. Meat, poultry, and milk in particular, must be immediately preserved at temperatures below 4°C to prevent contamination. Leafy vegetables may require vacuum or hydro cooling to lessen the effects of field heat. As facilities manage logistics of collecting from multiple sites while maintaining consistent cold chain integrity, the integration of sophisticated route planning and appropriate transport becomes vital.
Processing and Manufacturing
Food processing and manufacturing facilities are subject to varying temperatures and standards. Multiple product types with differing thermal needs must be processed simultaneously. Air quality is an area which must be controlled, with the integration of proper ventilation systems to maintain stable temperatures and prevent contamination. The risk of cross-contamination increases when warm and chilled zones exist in close proximity, making it vital for smart facility design and the integration of effective warehouse heating solutions to keep environmental conditions in top condition.
Processing facilities also encounter this dichotomy. Raw ingredients entering from refrigerated storage must be processed quickly, and finalised products must return to a suitable storage temperature with no disruption. Should problems occur with the existing heating, ventilation or air quality, temperatures can fluctuate to the point where products in transition or at rest are at increased risk. This means supply chain managers must ensure environmental condition monitoring, alarm systems and temperature indicators are present.
Storage in Warehouses and Distribution Centres
Contemporary warehousing presents a complex mixture of temperature management challenges. Facilities responsible for storing ambient, chilled and frozen products under one roof must prevent thermal bridging between these areas. Warehouses with particularly high ceilings must face the additional challenge of temperature stratification (where warm air accumulates at ceiling level while floor-level temperatures aren’t as adequate). Effective destratification (i.e., the process of mixing air layers to achieve uniform temperature distribution) can reduce heating costs while ensuring products stored at height remain within the appropriate guidelines.
The Food Standards Agency provides guidance on temperature requirements for different food categories, and highlights incidents in which producers have had to recall items due to historical inadequate temperature control. Supply chain managers must ensure strict FSA compliance, as investigations can result in costly financial and reputational damage. A golden rule of thumb is the ‘first in, first out’ principle while ensuring older stock doesn’t languish in areas with below-par temperature control. Stock rotation must be done regularly in conjunction with site-wide temperature mapping.
Transportation
Transporting food products between sites is arguably the most vulnerable point of the cold chain journey. Vehicles must maintain precise temperatures while navigating varying ambient conditions. Routes where drivers must stop multiple times along the way can cause subtle temperature fluctuations, as doors open and close, or when containers are subject to atmospheric shifts. As such, thorough, methodical planning is a must.
Refrigerated vehicles are categorised by their temperature control and size, including chiller vans and lorries (used for just-above freezing products like dairy), freezer vans (sub-zero for frozen items), and dual-temperature vehicles with disparate compartments. Depending on the size and scale of the haulage, as well as the journey time, passive cooling solutions like gel or ice packs and insulated packaging can suffice. Supply chain experts can also take advantage of enhanced telematics and IoT (Internet of Things) sensors to facilitate real-time temperature monitoring throughout any transit period. Deviations can be immediately picked up on.
Last-Mile Delivery
The growth in e-commerce has led to the proliferation of instant online shopping, where last-mile temperature control has also become a high priority. Consumers can now buy fresh and frozen products to their doorsteps in as little as a few hours. This demands innovations in packaging, routing efficiency and real-time communication.
Home delivery providers must be mindful of unpredictable variables, such as climate-sensitive locations, distance and recipient availability. Supply chain professionals must balance the cost of advanced, accessible cooling against the risk of product spoilage, wastage, and potential customer satisfaction taking a hit. Some retailers deploy insulated bags and ice packs while others use smart lockers with built-in refrigeration units, which can be leveraged depending on the availability and time delivery window of each order. The strategy lies in accurately balancing time spent out of refrigeration and selecting sufficient packaging and cooling solutions accordingly.
Retail Shelves
After a journey filled with variable elements, products face the final temperature hurdle which is ending up on the shelves of retail stores. Retail units often contain open-fronted chilled cabinets, freestanding refrigerators or freezers and ambient shelves, as well as various store-rooms with differing ambient temperatures. The temperature of the customer-facing store, foot traffic, air circulation, overstocking, and failing to secure seals on doors can threaten product integrity due to the accidental influx of warmer temperatures. Retail teams must be fully clued into food hygiene and quality, as well as proper stock rotation and loading densities.
Common Issues That Affect Temperature and Air Quality
Two factors consistently emerge as critical to cold chain success: temperature stability and air quality.
Even acceptable temperature fluctuations can accelerate the deterioration of food. Repeated cycling above and below optimal temperatures can be more damaging than keeping food stored within a stable temperature, even if that figure approaches the upper end of what’s deemed ‘acceptable’.
Air quality hinges on humidity, circulation, and purity. Humidity can affect product moisture content and packaging integrity. Similarly, condensation can occur when warm, humid air contacts cold surfaces. Its propagation can damage packaging and affect the products prior to being opened, necessitating strict controls over the journey between sourcing and final display. Air circulation is pivotal for uniform temperature distribution, and air purity prevents the transfer of bacteria and odours between products.
Insufficient and substandard ventilation systems and air changes can create a ‘microclimate’ within a facility where temperature and humidity deviate substantially below the desired level.
Competitive Cold Chain Excellence
Temperature control in the food supply chain can be incredibly challenging to keep on top of, particularly as products move between facilities at such scale and pace. Ultimately, each facility manager upholds the responsibility of ensuring their incumbent premises is as optimised and food-safe as can be.
As supply chains grow more interconnected, complex, and diversified, the organisations that keep on top of their temperature control processes will stand a better chance of succeeding in an increasingly competitive marketplace. They’ll also stand to benefit from reduced waste, improved product quality, greater consumer trust, and enhanced brand value; perception is everything nowadays. If you take food hygiene and temperature control seriously, and back it up with hard evidence of your preservation efforts, your consumers will notice, and that’s a good thing!
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