Do you need to have fish, ice cream or frozen food shopping delivered to your points of sale or to your home? The transport of frozen food products is a complex field governed by numerous regulations. Between maintaining the cold chain or refrigerated vehicles that must meet ATP standards, this transport requires expertise. But how do you transport frozen products or even your refrigerator safely? Read our tips in this article.
First of all, knowing the regulations that govern the transport of frozen products is essential. Moreover, this regulation includes several key elements.
First of all, the maintaining the cold chain remains of paramount importance in the transport of frozen foods and frozen products. Indeed, the cold must be maintained until the place of delivery in order to guarantee the optimal preservation of goods, which are mainly perishable products.
Then, the refrigerated transport sector is also subject to the ATP Treaty (agreement on the transport of perishable foodstuffs). Thus, all refrigerated vehicles intended for the national and international transport of foodstuffs must have a certificate of technical conformity issued by the THIS COLD. This certifies that the vehicles are suitable for this use.
Find out everything you need to know about ATP certification in this article.
In addition, health rules are also in force for them, in particular the Hygiene Package, a European regulation setting hygiene standards for food and animal products.
Finally, the storage of frozen products must take place under conditions specific to their nature. They are thus kept in a warehouse capable of maintaining a temperature of -30 degrees Celsius. To respect the cold chain, frozen products must be transported at a negative temperature. Among other things, a temperature below -18 degrees Celsius, to transport frozen meat for example. The establishment of all these transport conditions makes it possible to guarantee the preservation of the goods and to avoid the proliferation of bacteria in the products.
In the transport of frozen products, it is important to take into account certain elements in order to ensure good preservation of goods during transport.
As we said before, it is essential to maintain a negative temperature. in the transport of frozen products. The temperature range should therefore be kept below -40 degrees Celsius. As these are frozen products, this temperature makes it possible to keep them frozen throughout the transport to the place of delivery.
Frozen food products may contain bacteria that may affect consumers' health. Therefore, the transport of this type of goods must always be subject to numerous precautions. Since a temperature above 0 degrees is the ideal condition for the proliferation of bacteria, the temperature must be negative to avoid affecting the quality of the products. So, for a good preservation of frozen product, regardless of its nature, be sure to keep it in a frozen state. If you want to move frozen products, we recommend using coolers or insulated bags.
It is always advisable to eat frozen foods prior to the moving date. Moving frozen products is a task that requires attention to the temperature range. It is best to avoid consuming food products that have been thawed for more than 2 hours before being frozen again. And for good reason, there is the risk of a resumption of microorganism activity.
Maintaining the cold chain starts with logistics operations, i.e. storage and handling until goods are transported. This process makes it possible to maintain all the qualities of the products, but above all to maintain their taste and nutritional properties. A break in the cold chain occurs when the products in question are exposed to room temperature.
As a reminder: each type of refrigerated product has a label indicating the temperature not to be exceeded.
Generally, breaking the cold chain depends on how long frozen foods are out of the freezer. In general, it occurs under the following circumstances:
So, pay particular attention to frozen products as well as to the functioning of the frozen food truck. Indeed, the breakage of the cold chain can occur after certain technical failures. The transport of frozen products therefore requires regular checks of vehicles. If it is an electric vehicle, it should be noted how long it takes to transport frozen foods due to energy consumption.
Find out where, when and how to check your refrigerated vehicle in this article.
When you need to move a freezer from one production plant to another, for example, it is necessary to follow certain steps.
Preparation is essential before moving to ensure the good condition of your device during the trip. This takes into account the model and size of the freezer. However, we advise you to lighten it as much as possible in order to avoid any damage during the trip. This allows you to remove drawers and other parts from your freezer or refrigerator. In addition, it will make it possible to isolate certain parts that are more fragile than others.
It is essential to install your freezer in the best conditions to prevent shocks during the trip. Among other things, be sure to place it in a stable and straight position. You must not forget to properly protect the circuits and the gas in your refrigerator or freezer. To do this, you can use wedges to hold the device securely.
Once the move is complete and your freezer or refrigerator is out of the vehicle, start with checks before it is started. First, you will need to reinstall the removed parts prior to transport. Afterwards, we do not recommend that you turn on your freezer again after moving. You will have to wait 24 hours for the gas to stabilize and avoid any risk of damage.
