Top Five Food Transportation Issues

by Jack John Writing

Food transportation requires careful planning and often creates considerable challenges in achieving efficient, timely, and safe delivery, to and from the factory or retail outlet. Unless you operate your own fleet, getting the food to its final destination has to be organized and supported by someone. A standard transportation system needs trucks, drivers, storage, and refrigeration. Food during transportation can be categorized in the following ways:

· Fresh: produce, meats, fish, eggs, etc.

· Canned: vegetables, fruits, soups, stews, beans, etc.

· Refrigerated: eggs, meats, poultry, etc.

· Dried: peanut butter, crackers, cookies, etc.

· Kosher: meat, poultry, fish, wine, etc.

However, these descriptions are rather broad. Food transportation does not end with the transportation itself. The insulated food containers for catering companies, and for direct-to-consumer (DTC) sales, have to be safely transported to the customer and/or to the factory or store.

Food Transportation Issues

Here are top five most-occurred food transportation issues and recommended solutions, by our survey of food transportation experts and companies. It can be avoided by using best quality insulated food containers , which include: plastic, glass, stainless steel, cardboard, etc. Many companies fail to educate their drivers on how to properly carry or store food. Drivers will store the food in their cabs and other areas where they can take care of them and not cause the caterer a problem. This may cause the caterer to lose a customer or other problem.

v Handling Food Is A Common Issue

In fact, transportation is one of the most common logistical issues that a company must deal with, on a daily basis. This is because of the volume of food that must be moved from one place to another. This is true for a company like a hotel, a manufacturer, and a retail outlet.

v When Food Is Transferred

The carrier of the goods must be sure that the cold and/or the hot food is transferred in order to preserve it. This can cause difficulties if they are not properly protected. For instance, if a car’s temperature control goes down, the transportation process might not work well. In such a case, the food might get contaminated and must be either discarded or re-processed, or in the best case scenario, refrigerated, and thus kept cold.

v Churning And Covering

This is a classic food transportation issue that is linked to the process of transporting the food items. If the temperature of the car goes down below 15 degrees, then the food must be quickly transferred to a nearby warmer car. In a study conducted by National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA), it was reported that in the US alone, 50 percent of accidents are caused by the improper transport of food items.

v Labor and Training

It takes a lot of time and effort to create a good food transportation plan. This is due to the fact that you cannot get an informed opinion about how the best practice for transportation works unless you spend a lot of time talking to a few food transportation experts. Good training is therefore an essential part of food transportation operations. It’s important to learn as much as possible about the factors that affect the food transportation process. This enables you to prepare for any incident that might happen.

v Food Transportation Needs

Customers are very particular about the quality of food that they buy from a company. Therefore, having a good transport strategy is very important. It should have a good focus on handling fresh products and with the capacity to provide prompt deliveries. Good food transportation strategies are also essential for smooth operations of your DTC business and improved customer experience. It’s a common food transportation issue that they have to deal with.

Final Verdict

We have listed five common food transportation issues that arise and are frequently encountered by any food transport company. Some of them can be prevented, while others require a little more practice. You can improve the food transportation efficiency in your company with some basic education about handling fresh food. This can help you avoid errors that could cost you a lot of time and money.

What’s your opinion about the following issues? Do you agree with the current situation? What recommendations would you like to give to food transport companies in the following areas? Let us know by leaving your comments below