November 30, 2015
The Importance of Safety When Transporting Food
The concept of transporting food is something that’s evolved over time, with the most basic forms of delivering products by hand eventually leading to considerations such as shipping to remote destinations across the world.
As motor vehicles became the prime mode of operation within this realm, the need for a food transportation company became evident. That’s because delivering food isn’t like moving appliances or furniture, since any number of safety features need to be factored into the overall equation.
The Importance of Refrigeration
The growth of any food trucking company is inextricably tied to the availability and quality of refrigerated trucks. Without access to them, these companies would simply cease to exist, since food traveling over even short distances can quickly become inedible.
The clearest example of this can be seen by what occurs without the benefit of refrigeration. Any perishable food item such as milk, fish, eggs, poultry or meat needs to remain in temperatures below 40 degrees, preferably lower.
That’s because within the span of just a few hours, bacteria growth begins to occur on unrefrigerated items such as these, doubling in the span of just 20 minutes. That span drops to a single hour when it happens in warm climates, leading to spoiled food that has to be thrown out.
One Horror Story
Other seemingly minor factors can come into play regarding these potential problems, with such mistakes potentially affecting hundreds of thousands of people. For example, in 1994, more than 224,000 people were affected by salmonella from a trailer carrying pasteurized ice cream that hadn’t been properly cleaned after having previously transported unpasteurized liquid eggs.
Attention to Detail
Such healthful considerations are also important to a food transportation company that’s tasked with the job of moving such things as Kosher-approved food. In those cases, the cleanliness of the food is integral to those who purchase it, while a food trucking company also needs to be aware of the key fact that different items will sometimes need to be stored separate from each other.
Focusing on Drivers
Another area of safety when it comes to food deals with those whose job it is to drive to and from specific destinations. These individuals need to be fully aware of the regulations required when transporting food, and should have undergone rigorous training in making sure that they adhere to those rules.
While it seems basic to many, the concept of good hygiene is paramount to making sure that the food is safely transported. Failure to focus on a basic issue such as this can prove to be a dangerous oversight.
The Value of Quality Transportation
The vehicle that’s used to transport food also needs to be in good working order, since breakdowns due to improper upkeep will lead to not only delays in delivery, but outright spoilage of an entire delivery unit. Either that, or such things as a leaking roof, a door gap, the accumulation of ice or a clear indication of condensation dripping on the food becomes indicative of poor maintenance.
Other sanitary aspects involved can be connected to potential dangers like lack of pest control that leads to contamination issues. These might not be connected to the unit used during transport, but rather the storage facility that’s being used. Regardless of who might be at fault, it’s something that should be scrupulously avoided when it comes to transporting food.
No Leap of Faith Should Be Required
While legislation dealing with food safety is often proposed and some important laws passed along the way, making sure that all companies that transport food focus on obeying these laws can be difficult. The level of trust required when it comes to working with such entities can sometimes literally be a question of life and death.
A food transportation company is only as good as the people it employees and its ability to strictly adhere to the necessary considerations when it comes to the transportation of that food. So rather than roll the dice on a food trucking company, the safest bet would be to contact Kan-Haul today.
