Transporting refrigerated food

Food scares, outbreaks of disease and death around the world in the 1990s have triggered major concerns and revisions to food safety arrangements. In Australia, new legislation introduced in 2002 classified food transporters as food handling businesses and they must be registered and comply with the various state-based food acts. Food safety regulations issued nationally through Food Standards Australia/New Zealand (FSANZ) now also apply to most parts of the food transport chain.

Significantly, businesses receiving food can now legally expect it to be delivered in good condition - not contaminated and packaging not damaged. The Standard (Section 3.2.2) clearly states that potentially hazardous food must be transported under temperature control (+5°C or below or +60°C or above, or if frozen, not partly thawed), and not have been left outside of temperature control for longer than safe time limits.

As legislation moves forward, the definition of potentially hazardous food will only become more and more strict, down to primary products, on an industry sector-by-sector basis.

It is not difficult to see what is essential here: keeping the right temperature for the duration of the transport.

Cold chain logistics

Research conducted by the South Australian Research and Development Institute (SARDI) suggested that to achieve full temperature control one of the most important issues of concern is the integrity of the cold chain.

Cold chain logistics may be best defined as the maintenance of produce temperature throughout the demand-supply chain from harvest to the consumer.

Poor cold chain management will have a negative impact on product quality, especially delicate, perishable produce like fresh horticultural products. Softening, bruising, unwanted ripening, bacterial growth and texture degradation can all lead to spoilage or even rejection of the consignment.

While making a presentation at the 2002 Asia Pacific Food Safety and Quality conference, freight transport coordinator Ian Lovell from the Transport Office of the South Australian government suggested that there were five habits that successful logistics businesses had in common:

• Know the product,
• Plan the logistics chain,
• Know the partners,
• Get the basics right,
• Know the market.

Lovell pointed out that something as simple as broccoli took 39 steps along the cold chain - having as many as 23 operators and 21 stages involved on the way - to reach its consumer. Logistics management became so crucial that to have the situation under control, businesses had to plan the flight and fly the plan.

One example of such effort is the Australian Quality Logistics Project. In 1999, the Integrated Logistics Network (ILN), made up of Commonwealth and state/territory officials, in conjunction with the Australian Freight Councils, started working with industry on the project, known as AQL1.

The project aims to find a balance between cost and performance so it will achieve a best practice. It acts to fill in the gaps in the existing systems of logistics business to compile tailored standards.

The cooling problem

Obviously, the refrigerated transport industry is facing additional burdens, with a considerable amount of capital and ongoing maintenance costs. The operation of refrigerated equipment also imposes additional fuel, maintenance and service charges.

Road transportation is carried out in vehicles which have insulated walls, specially designed flow chutes, corrugated floors etc and are fitted with evaporation units which create the cold air necessary to reduce and maintain the temperature required for the product. Off-road transportation can be either rail or shipping. Special containers with evaporation units are also required in the compartments.

The Energy Grants Credits Scheme implemented on 1 July 2003 helps cut fuel costs for businesses, particularly in regional and rural Australia, by providing a grant for fuel used for specified transport and temperature control activities. However, this does not seem to solve the problem entirely.

Australia's refrigerated transport sector is constantly seeking new technologies and standards for equipment that will both reduce emissions and the use of fuel. On its own initiative, the sector carried out a study into refrigerated transport equipment and, in September 2003, Standards Australia passed the proposal for an Australian standard that contains both performance specifications and testing procedures. These specifications placed Australia in line with its European and US counterparts and provided standards for equipment which safeguard not only domestic consumers but also Australia's export markets.

Development of alternative technology that might steer temperature control away from using fuel at all is also on the way. For instance, funded by the Food Innovation Grant from the National Food Industry Strategy, the Australian Fresh Fruit Company in Victoria took on research to develop oxidation generators that only use electricity and moist air as inputs to preserve fresh produce during refrigerated transport. On completion, this project estimates approximately $2.5 billion along the food supply chain will have been saved.

CSIRO Plant Industry's Moisture Control Technology (MCT) liner is a simple bag that fits inside a normal carton or box. By keeping humidity high, MCT liners can reduce moisture loss significantly during long-distance transport. This technology has already started a commercial trial in June this year.

And temperature control technology does not have to be complicated all the time. A study conducted by the South Australia Development and Research Institute (SADRI) indicated that there were occasions during the handling chain where product was not under refrigeration and can warm quite rapidly. Simple wraps could be used on pallets of properly cooled fruit that are to be carried at non-ideal temperatures, and double the time the produce temperature remains in the required range.

There are also independent bodies such as Australian United Fresh Transport Advisory Committee (AURTAC) and Refrigerated Warehouse and Transport Association (RWTA) as well as state government transport offices that have set up various codes of practice, equipment standards and specifications. To just follow the rules may be the least costly yet most effective way to maintain transport performance.

Sometimes better transport can be ensured by simply checking your equipment regularly, or keeping the air flow in the refrigerator.

The freight transportation network is complex. Yet at the end of the day customers will only judge your performance by what is delivered to their hands. It is the physical transfer of the product in a manner that not only maintains quality and condition, but also meets the timeframes required by the customer, that is determining the survival of your business.