4 Common Risks In Food Cold Chain Management

Companies globally are working towards creating reliable cold chain management to ensure products arrive safely and in good condition for consumption. However, cold chains still fail, and food products get exposed to various risks. That said, here are the top 4 risks associated with food cold chain management and how to address them.

EQUIPMENT MALFUNCTION AND BREAKDOWN

This is one of the most common reasons why optimized cold chains fail, distressing temperature-cooled supply chain operations. Power outages, insulation and coolant failure, redundancy breakdowns, and poor air circulation are typical equipment breakdowns affecting food cold chain companies.

HUMAN ERROR

Non-compliance with set protocols, inadequate training, negligence, and insufficient equipment use are common reasons why cold chains fail. Cases of human error range from bad handling of food products and leaving refrigerator doors open to inept paperwork resulting in delays in product delivery.

INADEQUATE INFRASTRUCTURE AND UNIFORM STANDARDS

Cold Chain Management
Because technology, cold chain standards, and infrastructure differ globally, companies running global operations face difficulties guaranteeing end-to-end integrity. Other issues may arise from insufficient cooling options and non-uniform cooling standards in intermediate storage centers. In return, leading to risks likely to impact food cold chain management.

DISTRIBUTION AND DELIVERY COLD CHAIN RISKS

Mobile cold storages accompany numerous variables besides equipment malfunctioning that increases risks in food cold chain operations. Packaging disasters and stranded shipments pose a significant risk to perishable food products. Besides, in-transport storages can face faults during transportation, resulting in more risks.

HOW TO ADDRESS COLD CHAIN RISKS

Because cold chain risks are inevitable, ensuring reliability can be expensive, especially when balancing the growing cost of cold chain risk management. But with advancing technologies, managing risks can help combine low-cost real-time shipment monitoring and address cold chain management risks. Here are effective ways to address cold chain risks;

  • Sense data in real-time: It is an effective way to detect temperature anomalies, essential for keeping temperatures low and avoiding sudden spikes.
  • Make sense of data: Aggregated data helps predict actionable insights to help alleviate spikes in temperatures, increased fuel consumption, route congestions, and possible deviations.
  • Focus on timely intervention: Real-time monitoring is crucial in preventing the coolant from running out or malfunction due to delays.

COLD CHAIN MANAGEMENT 

At Interstate Cold Storage, we understand risks associated with food cold management and the need for expert help to address these risks. Contact us to learn more today!

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