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The food and beverage industry is one of the most important sectors in the world. It has the responsibility of feeding millions of people and supporting the economy of every country. However, its shipping process is very complex and often requires meeting the industrial standards of the country.
Many people depend on food items for their daily nutrition and also want fresh produce, increasing the demand for reliable food shipping across the world. But this can only be made possible with the right logistics and streamlined process.
Food supply chains involve an endless number of challenges that require protecting their freshness, maintaining safety, and ensuring that what reaches the customer is healthy. These problems can be overcome with the right strategy and tools.
Why Food and Beverage Shipping Is Different
Unlike other products, many fresh food items have a limited life span. This means that the smallest delay in delivery will affect the food, leading to huge losses to the company and disappointed customers.
Temperature-sensitive items also need frozen shipping conditions to avoid contamination or degradation. Apart from sensitivity, perishable food supplies are extremely prone to spoilage, which can lead to food poisoning. Add all these challenges to the strict regulations for safety and labeling across the country, and the process gets tougher.
The Common Shipping Challenges in the Food Industry
Temperature and Freshness
Maintaining food at the correct temperature throughout the shipping process is one of the biggest challenges faced in the industry. Perishable products must also remain at a specific temperature at all times.
Changes in these temperatures, no matter how short or long, can have a significant effect on the safety of the food. For example, food like milk and meat can quickly lose their quality if the cold chain stops during the logistics process.
Strict Regulations
The governments and health agencies have strict regulations for shipping food. These rules include product storage, labelling, and transportation. The purpose of these guidelines is to ensure everything is safe for consumers. Non-compliance with these regulations will cost the companies hefty fines or the ability to sell their products to their customers.
Packaging Concerns
Every beverage and food have a specific type of packaging to protect its quality. Using poor or wrong packaging can cause leakage, contamination, and damage to the product.
Therefore, the packaging must be strong enough to protect the product and affordable to avoid an increase in shipping costs. For example, fragile glass bottles need different packaging compared to cans or cartons.
Time Sensitivity
Food products have a specific shelf life, and for most, it can be very short. This means they need to reach the final consumer on time. Any delays—whether due to traffic, weather, or customs mean the product might expire before delivery, making it unsafe to sell.
Global Supply Chains
When beverages are shipped from one country to another, the process is different from an interstate shipment. This means it needs to go through customs inspections, documentation, and longer travel times, making it more difficult to keep the product fresh. Also, countries have their own rules, and not adhering to them can create delays.
The Importance of a Coding System in Food Shipping
A coding system is one of the most powerful tools that makes food and beverage logistics easier. With coding, you have a clear map of every step in the shipment journey.
Coding systems such as barcodes and QR codes are a structural way to identify, classify, and track food throughout the logistics process. This allows companies to track the exact location of their shipment anytime and from anywhere.
Here’s why the coding system is so important:
- Traceability: Shipments are often unpredictable, and problems such as contamination can occur at any time. When issues like this arise, the coding system helps identify the affected batch quickly. Instead of recalling every product, companies are able to recall only the contaminated ones.
- Transparency: Customers and regulators want to know the origin of every food, and the coding system provides a way to digitally track where the food product is coming from.
- Inventory Control: Coding makes it easier to monitor and know the food product that is being shipped and their expiration dates. This reduces waste and ensures fresher products reach the customer.
- Faster Customs Clearance: When food products come with a proper coding system, it reduces the time spent inspecting and documenting every shipment.
Different Ways to Overcome Shipping Hurdles in the Food Industry
Invest in Temperature-Controlled Logistics
Products such as dairy, meat, and frozen foods need to stay at a specific temperature from the moment they leave the factory until they reach the customer. To ensure it is stable throughout the process, companies must partner with carriers who specialize in temperature-controlled shipping.
These carriers have refrigerated trucks, cold storage facilities, and the right equipment to keep food at the correct temperature.
Adopt Excellent Packaging
Packaging is not only for making the food more aesthetically appealing to consumers, but it is also used to protect it. Packages such as insulated boxes, ice packs, or special containers keep products cool and safe during shipping.
Take Advantage of the Coding System
With a coding system such as barcodes, QR codes, or digital tracking, companies that ship food products are able to track their shipment from anywhere and at any time. It also helps in identifying products that are contaminated or have other health and safety issues.
Plan for Delays
Delays are often an unavoidable issue that comes up during the shipping process. Therefore, companies must plan ahead and provide instant solutions to handle the situation to keep the product fresh.
Train Your Team
The best systems and equipment won’t work unless the people using them are well-trained. Therefore, every employee must go through rigorous training that emphasizes the importance of food safety and the right ways to handle products in compliance with industrial regulations.
In Conclusion
Food and beverage shipping requires a combination of investing in the right technology, consistently following every regulatory compliance, and proactively providing solutions to problems every time they occur.
With the right logistics professionals who are familiar with the challenges associated with the shipping process and have proven experience, food and beverage freight companies are able to deliver food products in the best way possible.
Unify Logistic Solutions is a company that connects companies with the right carriers for their shipment. With our network of thousands of temperature-controlled trucks across the United States, you can trust us with your food shipping. Contact us today for the best logistic freight solutions that ensure your shipment remains fresh from pickup to final delivery.