Food Safety: Cold chain key to safety, quality
Dr. John Ryan followed shipments of produce to Honolulu in November. And he found that temperatures can take a roller coaster ride.
Through Intelleflex temperature monitoring tags and RFID (radio frequency identification) readers, data was collected and read at each waypoint for analysis by shippers, customers and handlers on boxes and pallets of fruits and vegetables. GPS tracking allowed data and location to be transmitted via satellite.
Produce tracking began at northern San Diego produce farms and from Taiwan’s Keelung port. Hawaii was the chosen destination because between 85 and 90 percent of its food comes from outside of the state.
Temperatures fluctuated during early handling, packinghouse and aboard ship.
“Shippers were under the belief that all temperatures were maintained at close to 45 degrees F, but the reality was far different,” reported Ryan, owner of Ryan Systems and sanitarycoldchain.com.
Temperatures even varied within the same pallet.
“Average aggregate temperatures on the pallets ranged from a high of 54 degrees to a low of 43 degrees during early handling,” he reported. “These variations are significant, especially given the time spent during a trans- Pacific crossing, as the warmer temperatures mean shorter shelf life — easily shorter by up to five days.”
Also tracking West to East shipments, Ryan found that temperature disruptions occurred during container transportation from the Los Angeles consolidation center and the pier. The results were revealing because under the Food and Safety Modernization Act, the FDA is already requiring unique identification numbers for transportation units as well as sanitation and traceability data.
And temperature monitoring in transit can signal alerts when fluctuations occur so that remedies can be initiated or load destinations adjusted.
Ryan also noted in the report that recent news articles have indicated that some drivers will turn off cooling units to save fuel. However, such practices threaten both food safety and shelf life.
