Leveraging Technology for Safer Food Distribution

By Jaan Koel

With the advent of new rules and regulations driven by FSMA, GFSI, CFIA, FDA, and others, food production is considerably safer than it’s ever been. And the good news is, it will keep getting better.

It’s one thing that food production standards are increasing.  But even if the best practices are being followed, what good is it if food quality and safety are compromised along the way?

One of the main issues is refrigeration. Another is time. Making sure food is kept at the right temperature for the right time throughout the supply chain—from when it’s produced to moment we sit down to eat – is not always easy.

“One of the weakest links in the food safety chain is transport”

“One of the weakest links in the food safety chain is transport,” says Lennart Ahrne, former business development manager at Tetra Pak International, and former managing director of Nordfalks Industri AB of Mölndal, Sweden.

“It’s something that’s left up to drivers of transport vehicles,” says Ahrne. “They have quotas to meet, schedules to keep, and costs to manage. Drivers are well trained to understand how important keeping time and temperature values at a safe level when transporting food products, making sure they get to the dinner table safe and sound.”