Cool Considerations For Cold Chain Success
By Isaac Fletcher, contributing writer, Food Online
An efficient cold chain can be expensive and difficult to manage, but the proper packaging considerations can play an important role in ensuring products arrive at their destination intact at the lowest possible cost
When it comes to temperature-sensitive food and beverages, a cold chain is used to maintain a constant temperature range throughout transportation, storage, and handling. An important element in creating a successful cold chain is a product’s packaging. For many products, insulated corrugated shipping boxes with interior foam inserts to cushion and protect the product are the go-to packaging. In addition to its protective properties, the foam also provides insulation, creating a sort of self-contained cooling system within the package when frozen gel refrigerants are included.
However, when the temperatures need to be consistently cooler, the solution is often refrigeration — an energy-intensive answer in an era of sustainability concerns. The significance of this fact cannot be underestimated, as any compromise in temperature means additional waste of materials, resources, and energy. In order to avoid such waste, constant temperature monitoring throughout the cold chain is vital, and achieved through various combinations of recording devices and software.
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As opposed to a cold-storage warehouse, it is much more difficult to observe and control temperatures within a transportation environment. While technology goes a long way toward improving the cold chain, proper packaging can help fill in the gaps.
Most forms of refrigerated transportation do not serve to cool the cargo, but rather maintain the temperature at which the cargo was loaded. However, when the product does not arrive at the shipping dock at the proper temperature, loading has to be delayed until the right temperature is achieved. If this occurs, cargo that is already staged to be loaded may have to be placed back into cold-storage in order to avoid thermal damage. Delays and wasted resources are not the only concern. The thawing of a frozen product means that microorganisms are enabled to regrow, even if the product is refrozen. Needless to say, there is a lot on the line when transporting frozen goods, and the right packaging can help mitigate hazards and losses.
Packaging can also address issues, such as freezer burn — the buildup of frost inside the packaging caused by dehydration during freezing. While neither packaging nor the freezing process can increase the end quality of a product, both can help maintain quality when done with thought and consideration.
The outside of the packaging also plays an important role in a cold chain, not just via material and insulation, but through its communicative properties. Packaging containers should carry codes and information to easily facilitate the identification of a package’s contents. Additionally, it is wise for a package to indicate the proper storing temperature for the contents inside.
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Controlling and recording temperatures is clearly important, but to ensure success and efficiency, the data needs to be conveyed to the right parties in a timely fashion. It is very important that thermal problems are identified in real time and not upon opening at a final destination. As previously noted, refrigerated transportation is an expensive, energy-intensive process, which makes ensuring safe delivery of a product even more important than in a traditional supply chain. By implementing the correct packaging considerations and correctly identifying specific areas of need, issues of product loss and consumer safety can be greatly minimized.