Transporting Perishable Goods in Canada
Keeping perishable goods at the right temperature is necessary for ensuring the safety and quality of the products. People expect the foods they buy – such as fruits, vegetables, seafood, meat, and dairy products – to have a tempting appearance and freshness.
When the safety requirements are not fulfilled, food could suffer from problems like discoloration, textural degradation, microbial growth, and bruising – problems that could prove rather costly for retailers.
The transportation of perishable goods includes refrigerated systems, the energy needed to run them, and cargo integrity needs, due to which cold chain products charge huge transportation costs than their standard equivalent.
Transportation is just one link within the chain, however.
Reefer units are typically used to keep these products at low temperatures that slow down the rate of chemical changes and microorganism growth on such products.
Different Ways to Transport Perishable Goods
1. Transportation of Perishable Goods by Land
When transporting perishable items via land, ice or dry ice might be used, while rail transportation tends to involve dry ice and refrigerated systems.
2. Transportation of Perishable Goods by Air
Air, however, is widely considered the best option to transport perishables. Airports have dedicated areas with temperature-controlled refrigerated rooms and freezers to store and transport perishables in a more efficient way.
3. Transportation of Perishable Goods by Sea
Goods are transported in refrigerated ships that are fully issued with systems to circulate air properly. Products can also ship in refrigerated containers. Before shipping perishable goods, a “temperature requirement sheet” is used to specify the temperature at which the product must be kept in the refrigerated container.
Temperature Controlled Vehicles For Transporting Perishable Goods
So, how to transport perishable goods safely? Temperature-controlled systems are used for storing and shipping perishables. Here is the list of some shipping vehicles build to keep your perishable products at their ideal temperature and condition.
Isothermal
This type of vehicle has inbuilt isolating doors, walls, floor, and ceiling, which control the transfer of heat between the exterior and the interior part of vehicles.
Reefer System
If you transport refrigerated goods, then a reefer or refrigerated trailer is the best option. Generally, it has a non-mechanical cold source system that can reduce the interior temperature and maintain it for an average 30ºC to -20ºC exterior temperature.
Freezer
Some perishable goods need a high freezing point to maintain their quality and condition. If it is also your case, then getting a shipping carrier with a cold production mechanism is one of the tips for shipping your perishable goods that requires a consistent temperature between -12ºC and -20ºC.
Why is it Important to Secure Your Perishable Good When Transporting?
Keeping your perishable goods at the right temperature while shipping is important for ensuring your goods’ safety, quality, condition, and cold chain. Since perishable goods are made fresh, customers expect that fruits, vegetables, meat, seafood, or dairy products are also served and offered fresh in the marketplace.
If you failed to transport your perishable goods by not following the right safety measures, the goods will suffer from textural degradation, discoloration, microbial growth, etc. These problems can affect not only you but also the retailers.
Best Way to Transport Perishable Goods
Among all products and items being shipped, perishable products have a huge market and it is one of the most widely distributed products across the world. They are being delivered to retail stores and food establishments almost every day.
However, delivering these goods comes with several challenges, so as a manufacturer or producer, knowing the best way to transport perishable products is the key point.
Besides, perishable goods can quickly rot and spoil during their shipping without proper handling and temperature measures. To prevent this from happening, you should also consider some helpful tips for shipping perishable goods so you can properly ship your goods.
Here are some tips on how you should handle and keep the freshness of your perishable goods.
Invest in the right packaging.
Using the right packaging is vital when transporting your perishable goods. Not all perishable goods are suited to one type of packaging. So, you should learn about the packaging types. It is one factor that will help you keep the freshness of goods for consumption and distribution.
Packaging varies greatly depending on the type of food. For frozen goods, you should prepare packaging with a fair amount of insulation to maintain the cold temperature. On the other hand, for fruits, vegetables, and baked goods, you need to wrap them in plastic or foil to keep them fresh for preparation and consumption.
To make an ideal container, you may use cardboard boxes for packaging. Wooden crates and steel containers can also be useful, but they work best for heavier and larger loads.
Add ice packs.
If you are shipping cold perishable goods, one of the best ways to transport them is by adding ice packs. These ice packs will keep your packaging cool to prevent spoilage.
Plus, it will provide a specific low-temperature range to keep it fresh. You can either use gel ice packs or dry ice. If you want reusable and an easy to freeze ice, go for gel ice packs and use dry ice if you want long-lasting ice and reduce the amount of moisture present.
Keep your goods secure.
Once you have wrapped and insulated your perishable goods properly, the next task to do is keep them secure. You should prevent your goods from moving around the container while transporting.
Make sure that all the bindings outside the packaging are fixed, tight, and secure. Failure to do so will affect the quality of your product as it will be shaken. You can secure the goods in a palette or container, mainly when transported by land or sea.
Choose the right mode of shipping.
When your package is ready to be shipped out, you have to choose the best methods to ship perishable goods to deliver them safely to their destination. Most perishable goods are transported using vans and trailers since they have their cooling systems to keep your products fresh.
On the other hand, if you will transport goods across the border, ocean or air freight is your option. Besides, airplanes and ships are used for long-distance hauls. They also have controlled-temperature systems in place to keep your goods safe and fresh. By picking the right shipping method, you can have the most efficient delivery of your goods.
Choose the best 3PL service provider.
Besides picking the best way to transport perishable goods, choosing the right delivery service is also crucial. You need a logistics partner that would help you transport your perishables timely and in good condition. To get the best delivery experience, choosing 3rd Party Logistics services is the right choice.
3PL companies do not only ship your goods, but they also manage, handle and secure them to keep them safe and in good shape during the whole process.
Plan the delivery route and schedule.
All perishable goods only have a limited shelf life, which means that they can rot or spoil during the shipping process, so the transport should not be delayed along the way. Fortunately, it is possible to prevent this from happening.
If you entrust your goods to your logistics company partner, they can plan the delivery routes and the time to prevent the goods from getting compromised.
Work with Tenax Transport team of experts to ship your perishable goods. Get a quote on your freight today. We’ll be more than happy to serve you.
Bottomline
Apart from other items, perishable goods are some of the most common types of freights being delivered every day. That’s why it is best to know the finest way to transport your perishable goods.
Since you need to keep them fresh all the time, understanding all the requirements on how will you transport perishable goods is also plays a vital role in your business. Besides, living standards and economic specialization demands continue to grow every day.
Therefore, the demand for perishable goods logistics also needs to improve. We understand that transporting your perishable goods can be challenging, especially with the growing competition in the marketplace, so Tenax is here to handle your transportation needs.
If you are looking for a shipping company to handle your perishable goods, you may consider Tenax Transport. You may call us at +1 519-260-2738 for further information or to request a free quote.