Sharing best practice in shipping foodstuffs

Shipping foodstuffs is fraught with safety, compliance and regulatory requirements, which if not followed, could see authorities seize and destroy goods and could even see the shipper charged for the cost of destroying their goods. This is why smart shippers work with our experts, who share their knowledge with members of the Food and Drink Federation.

When shipping ambient, fresh and frozen food, you must follow regulations for labelling, packaging, food safety and any other regulations of the country you’re exporting to, or risk the most severe consequences.

By law, all food must be shipped from its point of origin and delivered to consumers in a way that ensures it doesn’t become unsafe or unfit to eat, which means that perishable foods often need to be kept refrigerated at all times to prevent them from spoiling and becoming unsafe. Legally, food items which must be transported under refrigeration should be stored below 8 °C, though it is best practice to store chilled foods below 5 °C. This is called the ‘cold chain’. 

Packaging is a critical issue, that can often be overlooked. Perishable and non-perishable items must be shipped in robust packaging to prevent damage and in particular tears, because damaged packaging could attract pests, affect the quality and integrity of the product and may affect the maintenance of the cold chain, if the appropriate insulation is missing or damaged.

Shipping foodstuffs is all about rigorous processes, commodity expertise, seamless handovers, flexible solutions and end-to-end visibility to ensure safety during transit. 

Due to their fragile composition, perishables require the most careful attention and even the slightest delay can result in wastage and loss of revenue, which is why we ensure that every step in the supply chain is temperature regulated. Alongside supporting technologies which provide visibility, audit supply chain milestones and can monitor conditions inside a container, providing a real-time view of location, temperature and load integrity.

Metro’s foodstuff team plan and execute the global transportation of ambient, fresh and frozen products, with uncompromising safety and the utmost precision to ensure that cargoes complete their journey quickly, efficiently and in full compliance with prevailing regulations. 

This dedicated team of experts are now sharing their knowledge with the wider industry, through our membership of the Food & Drink Federation, explaining how members can optimise ambient and cold chains to maintain temperature and sanitation standards throughout the cargo’s journey.

With decades of experience handling bulk, ambient, fresh and frozen foodstuffs, Metro provides seamless inbound and outbound logistics solutions with complete supply chain integrity from source to destination.

To learn more EMAIL Matt Paxton-Rhodes who oversees our foodstuffs portfolio.