Food Distribution and Cold Chain Integrity

Proper management of incoming food products, ingredients and packaging material is the first stage of food safety control within a distribution system.  Food distributors need to make certain their suppliers and transporters are delivering safe, wholesome and unadulterated products to their doors.  This is of particular concern with incoming frozen and refrigerated products.  The importance of establishing the cold chain integrity of products arriving at your location before accepting those products into inventory cannot be overemphasized.  As a distributor of food products do you:

·        Source products from qualified vendors?

·        Independently verify your suppliers’ food safety programs?

·        Temperature check all incoming shipments at receiving?

·        Verify the temperatures during transportation to your location?

·        Utilize carriers that have a documented food safety program?

·        Adequately train your staff for their respective responsibilities?

·        Have Supplier Quality Assurances (SQAs) with your vendors and carriers?

If you answered No to any of the above questions you may have significant food safety risks in your operation. This article is for you. Click here.