If you work in the food production industry or simply carry out the transport of chilled, frozen or perishable goods, the object of the exercise is to make sure the goods you transport are safe and can be consumed without any harm for the user.
Temperature control is a requirement according to European Union legislation, pursuant to Electronic Commerce (EC) Regulation 852/2004, which states that products are not to be kept at temperatures that might result in a risk to health and the cold chain is not to be interrupted. The guidelines expected to be adhered to are known as Hazard Analysis & Critical Control Point (HACCP) principles—a system you must put in place to ensure the food you produce is safe.
Having a temperature monitoring and control system is necessary in lots of industries, since refrigerated vans, trucks, vehicles and trailers are used for food, pharmaceutical and agricultural haulage. For any sector relying on the transport of chilled, frozen or perishable goods, a reliable temperature monitoring system is invaluable. In the event of a problem, alerts will allow you to take immediate action to protect your cargo and reduce losses. But this is not the only reason why such a system is indispensable if you transport perishable goods.
It is, in fact, necessary to keep track of temperature and have written procedures in place for monitoring storage and transportation of perishable goods. Procedures should include alert and action alarm limits and the procedure to be followed if the temperature falls outside these limits. There should be a designated responsible person in charge of reviewing and monitoring records independently, at least monthly, if this person is not involved directly with the day-to-day monitoring. This review should be recorded.
It would be a real boon if all of these operations could be integrated into one efficient fleet management system, which would allow you to optimise operations specific to your sector, and carry out a risk analysis that took into account the importance of the temperature factor.
If you need to have reliable temperature recordings in order to provide a documented audit trail of temperature conditions for quality assurance, drop us a few lines or call us; we can help you with managing your fleet efficiently and help to transport safe goods.