Cold Chain Losses Decrease with Real-Time Data
Food
The temperature-sensitive shipments of the cold chain, shipments of degraded products may be carried out, in the event of a systematic approach to supply chain monitoring and management. It is often the case that measures are taken to, serious and apparent damage to the load has occurred.
More often than not., occurs at this stage, sensitive products to be considered as food loss. The Food Agency & Agriculture (Fao) of the United Nations Sets as food loss, reducing the quantity or quality of food resulting from decisions and actions of food suppliers in the chain. The FAO initially assess that approximately the 14% of approximately 3,9 billiontons of food produced in the world, lost after harvest, without counting the level of retail. The FAO further clarifies, this loss as a, discarded foods, cremated or otherwise disposed of, through the food supply chain from harvest/slaughter/catching, but excluding the retail level.
However, when appropriate practices and tools are applied in the supply chain, the, this type of loss can be minimised.
Start with basic cold chain management practices
There are some basic cold chain management practices that will help you reduce temperature fluctuations and maintain product quality during transportation. Excellent practices include:
- Suitable pre-loading cooling in a refrigerator transport unit
- Preparation suitable of the transport chamber (container, Truck Refrigerator), calculating that it has no damage, Damage, is clean and properly adjusted to the temperature limits, while it has already been cooled before loading
- Proper loading of the container at the permissible height limits of pallets so as not to impede cold air circulation. It is equally important to leave distances between the pallets and the walls of the chamber.
- The maintenance of the appropriate temperature should be ensured throughout the transport of.
Following these practices constantly, proper air circulation will be ensured and thus you will have the maximum efficiency of the refrigeration chamber, to give your products a longer shelf life.
However, Nowadays cold chain is complex and the subject of costly interruptions. Implementing a monitoring program is the best way to reduce food loss.
Advanced temperature monitoring
An additional protection for the implementation of good practices in the cold chain, is the use of temperature loggers that will help ensure the maintenance of the appropriate temperature for the products.
Food temperature monitoring, to improve the quality of, It is not a new practice. Actually, before 90 years of companies Companies used tape recorders (strip chart recorders) to monitor temperature in sensitive loadings. These analog data loggers, project the time – temperature history on a graph on paper. This information is used to make decisions about each load.
While these devices are still being used to monitor, a significant number of loads each year, the technology has evolved quite extensively and so today we have many innovative tools that can further increase the quality of the product.
For example, the use of electronic recorders allows you to record temperature data in a format that you can store, share and analyze the data. The first recorders require manual processing of the data for their shipment and analysis of the data. However, are still widely used for decision-making for each loading of.
One of the next major market developments, communication technology, which broadcasts are made, more advanced technology, allows transmissions of a larger volume of, data of the cold chain. Also, allows data storage and easy data analysis in order to improve the.
Communication Devices
Today, the communication devices, allow real-time decision-making while the cargo is en route. Hands-free and Internet-enhanced devices of Things (Iot) provide a wealth of data factors, such as source, Move, cooling and operation of this, opening ports. The reception and analysis of this data provides visibility, to avoid causes related to temperature efficacy.
As we look at all these developments, It is important to realize that one technology does not completely replace another and that many types of devices can coexist and add value to food companies' monitoring programs.
The choice of devices to use depends on many practical factors, including application-specific customer preferences, Budget, infrastructure availability and receiver options.
Transition from data to awareness
Just as material for temperature monitoring evolved over time, This is how the way data is collected and processed has evolved. As mentioned above, The industry has gone from examining individual shipments to a paper tape, in a sophisticated analysis of data gathered from thousands of shipments in real time.
On an individual shipping basis, Data can help identify cargo, that has been transferred to insufficient temperatures and keep it out of the flow system through alerts signaling that a temperature problem has occurred.
Sensitech's technology enables the integration of temperature data and other logistics data into a cloud-based data management system. The aggregated data from hundreds or thousands of shipments can then be used to identify trends and patterns. Advanced analytics can be used to identify the root cause of temperature issues and continuously improve the cold chain, while minimizing the occurrence of problematic shipments.
Create a comprehensive cold chain program
For the successful implementation of a cold chain program, Sensitech recommends developing processes and tools that go beyond the mere use of a temperature logger. Here are some critical elements:
- Provision of monitoring and training. It is important to provide the appropriate loggers and, Then, train staff on proper use and installation, especially when there are many suppliers in different countries with different language requirements. The supply must also take into account seasonality and staff changes from season to season.
- Shipping features. The collection of information about suppliers, the origin, the destination, The product, product type and transport company provides the necessary framework for analysis when properly linked to temperature data. Achieving a high level of consistency in data collection and quality can be a complex issue that requires knowledge and experience.
- Data management and processing. There is a large amount of raw data collected in the cold chain. This data must be analysed and reported in a comprehensive and accessible manner. Even in the best designed systems, The data will be incomplete and attention must be paid to database maintenance to ensure data quality in order to extract the full value.
- Schedule alarms and alerts. After data collection and processing, A well-designed system should be able to provide customized and alarm alerts, tailored to the different stakeholders, involved throughout the distribution chain.
- Corporate commitment. A successful implementation of a cold chain program will require the participation of other, such as the department of markets and information technology. This ensures that the hardware and software components of the system are properly configured to ensure that the program works effectively and maximizes the value of the investment.
Continuous improvement with Cold Chain Ratings
In addition to the above data for a comprehensive cold chain program, there are situations where deeper analysis is required when a specific area of improvement is identified. In these cases, Sensitech offers cold chain assessments based on data with specialized knowledge to provide additional visibility as an extension of the program's data analysis.
Specific, through on-site professional service, Sensitech experts observe and document practices and provide active suggestions for improving the cold chain. Our experts try to answer questions like these for our customers:
- Unsuitable stacks of pallets or those resting on the walls of the chamber, affect product temperatures;
- Loading hot product into a refrigerator chamber, is a source of trouble;
- Is the equipment properly programmed and maintained?;
- All shippers follow standard operating procedures (Sop) consistently and correctly position temperature controls;
Cold Chain assessments allow Sensitech teams to identify the cause of a specific problem. We work with our customers and partners – including suppliers, distributors and retailers – to train them and develop best practices for improved cold chain performance.
For example, A retailer may ask us to visit a supplier based on anomalies that appear in the analysis of temperature program data. Although this may be construed by the supplier as an audit, The assessment is really about visibility. In the end, Suppliers benefit from offering a better quality product and start having a dialogue with the retailer to improve the data based on data and feedback from a neutral expert group.
Working together to reduce food losses
As discussed here, There are many ways a company can help reduce food loss in its cold chain, from simple cold chain management practices to temperature monitoring and expert knowledge. Collectively, These elements help improve cold chain processes, which in turn lead to continuous improvement, reduce loss and save time and money.
To learn how to create a continuous improvement program in your cold chain, Contact Us Here.
Source: Sensitech.Inc.