8 proven strategies for rigorous cold chain management

Jan 28, 25 | Cold Chain

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Preparing for the approval and safe use of A2Ls in commercial refrigeration applications

Maintaining consistently high food quality standards is a determining factor of supermarket success, impacting both customer loyalty and bottom-line profitability. Although consumers may take for granted how their favorite produce arrived on the shelf, they’re much more discerning about evaluating its quality. Shoppers check for appearance and texture in the store as the first signs of freshness, while taste is the ultimate confirmation of quality.

In a recent article for Food Logistics, I emphasized how proper temperature management is key to ensuring maximum quality, freshness and shelf life in the perishable cold chain. The margins for error are surprisingly slim, especially when you consider the number of steps and stakeholders involved.

Temperature control for quality (TCQ) teams are dedicated to minimizing food shrink, preserving freshness, and maximizing the shelf lives of perishable products. Their programs are designed to monitor, manage and ensure temperatures are kept at precise (i.e., recommended) setpoints throughout every step of the cold chain journey.

Doing so requires coordination among every stakeholder and change of custody — from harvest to staging to shipping and storage. If temperature abuses occur at any point of the process, TCQ teams need to know the extent and duration of the excursions, so they can determine the impacts to food quality — and potentially safety.

The Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) requires producers and their carriers to agree on a method of temperature control. Upon request, they must be able to demonstrate that they have upheld their responsibilities of maintaining proper temperatures of a given perishable.

With these responsibilities and requirements in mind, the following strategies can help to minimize temperature abuse and maximize perishable shelf life and quality.

  1. Pre-cool after harvest — Prior to loading into a refrigerated trailer, temperatures should be lowered to the ideal shipping setpoints within pre-cooling sheds. This process will help to ensure that perishable SKU enters shipping containers at the proper temperatures.
  2. Check insulation on transport reefer trucks and trailers — Refrigerated trailers are designed to hold (not cool) temperatures. At typical deterioration rates, a 10-year-old truck may have already lost 50 percent of its insulative value — making it more prone to unwanted temperature zones or inconsistencies within the trailer.
  3. Run refrigeration in “continuous” mode only — To save money on fuel, some drivers will periodically run the refrigeration in “fuel saver” mode. Continuous mode is the only way to keep and hold the required setpoint temperatures throughout cold chain shipping. Thermistors on refrigerated trucks and/or trailers should be calibrated annually to ensure proper temperature readings.
  4. Load pallets correctly — Proper airflow is required to maintain consistent temperatures from the front to the back of trailers. Loading and locking pallets in a center-line configuration (i.e., off the trailer walls) ensures proper airflow and promotes temperature consistency.
  5. Optimize load transfers and receipts — Hand-offs and delivery transfers must be brief and conducted efficiently to limit open trailer doors or extended periods sitting in receiving docks — especially in warm months or regions.
  6. Inspect trailers and product between loads and transfers — Trailers should be inspected between loads and transfers and cleaned as needed to preserve load quality. Product should be pulp-tested to record and/or document temperatures at every transfer.
  7. Avoid mixed loads with multiple temperature zones — Mixed loads, which contain a combination of fresh and/or frozen products with different ideal temperature setpoints, create significant temperature control challenges. Even in short trips from a distribution center (DC) to a store, where this is most common, product may be compromised. In routine, lower-risk scenarios, consider pallet-level temperature monitoring to maintain temperature certainty of each type of perishable commodity.
  8. Monitor temperatures at every step — Temperature tracking and logging technologies should be implemented to ensure compliance. TCQ teams can leverage these technologies to notify stakeholders of potential temperature abuse via live alerts — enabling them to quickly take corrective or alternative measures. Finally, collective data analytics can be used to uncover carrier performance trends, trouble spots and issues related to temperature control.

Temperature tracking for a more reliable cold chain

Maintaining proper temperatures throughout the cold chain journey is imperative to preserving perishable quality and maximizing shelf life. Copeland’s GO real-time trackers and Oversight cargo software and services can create the robust temperature tracking infrastructures that food quality and safety teams need to manage their perishable cold chains.

By combining a robust toolset with a global network of cold chain experts, Copeland can help you successfully implement these tips to drive customer loyalty, protect your reputation, and maximize profits. To learn more about Oversight cargo software and services or seek a consultation with our cold chain experts, please visit the Oversight Software and Services page.