Food Logistics Guide
Getting your food or drink products from manufacturer to end consumer isn’t just a case of packaging and shipping them off. Maintaining the quality of items as they move from A to B and choosing the right freight methods is essential to product integrity and cost effective logistics.
As well as meeting warehousing and freight standards, businesses also need to be aware of the various restrictions and regulations that apply when shipping to different countries.
This article will run through the challenges and best practices of storing and shipping food and drink products internationally, so you know how to maintain product integrity, maximise your sales and minimise delays in your supply chain.
What is Food Logistics?
Food logistics are the warehousing, fulfillment and shipping processes which get edible items from their manufacturer or producer to the end consumer. These supply chain systems are unique because they deal with perishable items, including both chilled and ambient foods. As such, a different set of controls need to be in place to maintain the quality and hygiene of food and drink products.
To deliver items successfully, specific requirements need to be maintained at each step of the supply chain. This will vary depending on the particular products being transported. For example, most ambient foods can be stored at temperatures between 15C and 25C while, under law, chilled items need to be kept at 8C or below. Maintaining these standards and cleanliness best practices is key to ensuring product safety.
Another key area of food and drink logistics are the customs procedures. Different restrictions are placed on items in different markets. To avoid unnecessary processing costs and delays, it’s important for shippers and importers to be aware and prepared for the goods checks at the items’ final destination. For example, there are import controls for Products of Animal Origin between the EU and UK which require certifications and physical inspections.
Importance of Food Logistics Best Practices
Maintaining the hygiene and safety of food items is the most important reason for maintaining logistics best practices. If foods aren’t kept in the correct conditions, then bacteria or mould can start to grow. Storing different foods incorrectly can also risk the cross contamination of allergens or other substances.
If consumed, this can lead people to become seriously ill, which is a major problem for the manufacturer or producer. Alternatively, the spoiled foods have to be disposed of, generating costly and environmentally damaging waste.
Even if food items are non-perishable, they can still degrade or lose their quality if they’re kept in the wrong conditions. Again, this can lead to spoiled goods and expensive wastage. Insufficient preparation for customs checks and controls can also incur extra costs. If goods don’t have the right certifications or documentation, then businesses may be fined and their supply chains will be delayed, with a knock-on effect for distribution.
Food Warehousing Standards
Food grade warehouses need to have internal conditions appropriate for the items they’re storing. To keep goods in the right conditions, the warehouses are equipped with temperature, humidity and ventilation controls. Monitoring devices are also used to ensure each area of a warehouse is the ideal environment for the goods stored there. This ensures items are kept to a high quality and won’t spoil. For example, sugar and flour needs to be kept in a dry, cool environment to avoid clumping or contamination.
Warehouses also need to meet tight hygiene standards to be fully certified for storing perishable and non-perishible items. For example, Hemisphere’s warehouses have BRC and Organic accreditations, meaning they’re certified to receive, pick, pack, store and distribute foods safely.
Other standards required from a food-grade warehouse include:
- Having fully-trained staff who know how to monitor and handle food items, including how to rotate stock appropriately and spot potential safety hazards
- Adequate storage facilities which include pallet racks and shelving. These keep items off the floor, away from contaminates and separates them to avoid cross-contamination
- Appropriate labelling of areas, items and complete documentation, including an up-to-date inventory that has information such as arrival and dispatch dates, best before end and use by dates
- Systems and processes that allow for effective inventory management, including tight batch control, product recall and quarantine mechanisms, along with the ability to work to First Expiry First Out (FEFO) and First in First Out (FIFO) fulfilment strategies
- Regular sanitation regimes and pest control procedures that keep the warehouse free from infestations or hygiene issues such as standing water
Once certified, warehouses will undergo a regular inspection (typically between every one and three years) to ensure standards are maintained. This means businesses can trust that food-grade warehouses are operating compliantly.
How to Ship Food and Drink Internationally
Wherever you’re shipping your food and drink goods, understanding the importation rules and processes of the destination country or trading zone is essential. If you don’t follow the right procedures and have appropriate documentation ready, your goods could face extra checks, which will cost your business time and money. For example, there may be specific duties for alcoholic drinks which you need to be aware of.
An experienced logistics partner can advise on the controls and procedures which apply to your specific items. This will help the customs process run as smoothly as possible. Plus, with visibility over all your importation needs, they can support you with shipping strategies (such as consolidation and LCL) which help you make the most of your time and budget.
This includes assisting with choosing the right freight options. From finding food-grade containers that are clean, dry and odour-free, reefer containers for temperature controlled products, through to negotiating prices on ocean freight, they can also assist with customs authorities in the destination countries. This makes the supply chain as efficient as possible, particularly if they support in dealing with your customers’ regional distribution centres.
Benefits of a Food Logistics Partner
Having a full-service shipping and warehousing partner like Hemisphere will give you complete peace of mind over your food and drink logistics processes. With experience of worldwide shipping we can deal with international freight requirements via air, sea and road and clear even regulated foods through customs.
We can also handle the unloading processes and long or short term food and drink storage at our fully BRC and organic accredited warehouses. The BRC Issue 4 Storage and Distribution accreditation means our operations hit the global benchmark for best practices. While our organic certification means we’re one of the few companies in the UK that can store these types of goods.
With these accreditations being vital to many of the UK’s major food retailers, by working with Hemisphere you can satisfy their requirements, ensure your supply chains are fit for purpose and open up increased business opportunities. Working in partnership, we can also examine your entire freight requirements and create strategies which make the most of your team’s time and your business’s money. This means neither your resources, or your food goods, will be wasted.
