Needless to say, food safety is one of the major concerns of the world. To have a life sustained with proper nutritional values - food should be brought in such a state where when it is consumed, it should be free from harmful bacteria, viruses, parasites or chemical substances.
A proper cold chain system and solution helps to keep cross-contamination of food at bay. Now how is it done? Well, we will talk about each and everything possible in this blog.
But before we start, we would like you to know that FAO, in their report published in 2022 reported that “Every year, the food we waste could feed 1.26 Bn hungry people. Food waste also makes up 8-10% of the gases that harm our planet, leading to unstable weather like droughts and floods.” Isn’t it alarming and shocking?
We should be thankful for the cold chain industry. It keeps our food fresh by keeping it at the right temperature. This helps prevent it from going bad, stops bacteria from growing, and lowers the risk of food poisoning. The industry uses things like refrigerated trucks, cold storage facilities, and temperature monitors to do this.
So, what is a cold chain?
A cold chain is a chain - think of it as a series of steps taken to maintain perishable products (not only fresh fruits and vegetables but vaccines, medicines, chemical supplies etc.) fresh right from the time of its production to consumption. It stops the products from spoiling or losing their original state.
The GlobeNewswire reports that the global cold chain market size is anticipated to reach $372.0 Bn by 2029 - and major growth drivers in this are the frozen food industry.
Steps that are employed in a cold chain are as follows:
1) Harvesting - Unlike the traditional term, here harvesting refers to the wastage reduction soon after the food is brought to the cold chain management system. This is done by understanding the type of food (veg or non-veg) and then providing them with safer temperatures according to the shelf life.
2) Cooling - This is also known as preconditioning. Followed by assorting and packaging.
3) Storage and Logistics - The third step revolves around packaging and transporting the goods to the desired location with the help of modes like refrigerated or eutectic trucks, freight, etc.
Ways in which Cold Chain keeps food fresh and ensures Food Safety
1) Accurate Temperature Maintenance - Food is perishable, which means if not kept refrigerated at 40 °F or below, or frozen at 0 °F or below - bacteria tend to live on them. Food does not mean only fresh fruit and vegetables but dairy, poultry and seafood too.
● Transportation - A specialised cold chain vehicle equipment is required to have isothermal systems to regulate heat exchange inside and outside of the compartment.
● Refrigeration - The refrigeration device should have a type of cooling that doesn't need machines and matches the outside temperature to stay cool inside. Freezers should also have a way to make things cold inside when they're empty.
2) Preserves Nutrition - Food consists of various components including essential vitamins and minerals which are temperature sensitive. When the food comes in contact with oxygen, its nutritional value starts falling.
Cold chain mainly consists of deep freezing methods which stop microorganisms from growing on them keeping food fresh.
What is important to note is that, for different types of food, customised, temperatures are needed.
3) Food Mapping - In a cold chain warehouse, temperature mapping is crucial to understand if the food is being given the right amount of temperature. Cold chain indicators come in handy here. Cold chain breaches happen most often when food comes in contact with temperatures beyond +2°C to +8°C for more than 15 minutes.
4) Customers’ Convenience - Perishable products need constant care and with the rising demand for fast and frozen food, the cold chain has improved in their technology resulting in faster delivery with freshness and nutritional values intact.
● Consumers have understood the fact that frozen foods are less nutritious yet safe.
● Consumers want variety on their plates, despite the geography they are living in.
● Consumers are less patient; they want to consume products year-round, regardless of the season.
● Approximately 1 billion young people worldwide, aged 25 or under, are seeking convenient, ready-made meals.
5) Waste Reduction - Food safety depends upon how much food is produced, consumed or ultimately lost before it even reaches its desired destination. An effective cold chain management system and logistics ensure that accurate temperature handling is done for the perishable products.
● Innovative Cold Chain Technologies - The newest innovations include modern cold storage facilities, customised temperature control, modified atmospheric packaging and scanning.
● Data Mapping - With the help of Radio-Frequency Identification and IoT devices, the real-time state of the goods can be scanned. These technologies give information about humidity levels, mishaps or damage.
Therefore, we see that cold chain management systems are an ideal and very important addition to the entire process of food safety.
If you have an innovative cold chain technology and solution or want to make strategic connections with key industry stakeholders - participate at the World ColdChain Expo 2025| Dubai.
To book your exhibition space, click on the link below
https://lnkd.in/gxCtNbq8
