A cold chain management company is a logistics organization focused on shipping food and other materials at continuous cold temperatures from farm to fork. The weakest link in the farm-to-fork movement is the point at which the food is exposed to the warmest step. It is considered a weak link because food can degrade quickly with slight temperature increases.
Planning is critical to cold chain management.
Each step in the movement from farm to fork must be considered to avoid significant temperature variations. Proper equipment, such as properly working refrigerator trailers (aka reefers), also comes into play. Reefers can maintain steady temperatures if the truck fuel level is maintained or the trailer is plugged in.
Coordination and information sharing are important in cold chain management. For example, people at different points in the cold chain need to know the temperature for transporting a particular food shipment. The truck driver needs to understand the appropriate temperature setting and chill the reefer to that setting in advance so they maintain the food’s temperature during the loading process. The driver can also take steps to maintain the target temperature and humidity levels after the food gets loaded. These steps are relatively easy when planned, and the proper equipment is available. Planning and communicating are core capabilities of an effective cold chain management company.