It's estimated that over $5 billion worth of food is thrown out every year in Australia. That includes fruit and vegetables worth over $1 billion and meat and fish worth over $800 million.
In uncovering these staggering numbers, The Australian Institute identified poor cold chain management as the primary cause of this significant waste.
Food products travel a great distance to get from manufacturing to consumption. The businesses involved in a cold chain process have a responsibility to ensure that food products remain of high quality when they reach the consumer. That's why a cold storage facility is a key component of the cold chain.
Cold Storage Standards
It is increasingly important for all businesses in the cold chain to maintain an effective cold storage facility for chilled foods and frozen foods.
The Australian Food and Grocery Council’s (AFGC) Australian Cold Chain Guidelines for food outlines the standard that all businesses in the cold chain must comply with to maintain quality of chilled and frozen foods.
1) Warehouse Storage temperature
The safety and quality of food that reaches consumers depend heavily on the amount of time it is stored, the temperature it’s stored at, and the history of the product. But the biggest contributing factor of food quality is storage temperature at the cold storage facility.
Cool room temperature for chilled foods such as fruit, vegetables, meat, and fish must always be below 5°C. This applies also to the temperature during transportation. This temperature range slows down the natural deterioration of fresh foods, thereby increasing their shelf-life.
The Australian Food and Grocery Council (AFGC) use the ‘never warmer than' rule. This means that all chilled foods must be stored and handled at temperatures between 0°C and +4°C and that the product temperature is 'never warmer than' +5°C unless otherwise specified. This is considered to be the safe cool room temperature in Australia.
Just like chilled foods, frozen foods need to be stored and transported at the required temperatures to maintain quality and safety. The AFGC’s standard for frozen food products (including ice creams) is that they must be stored or handled 'never warmer than' -18°C.
2) Freezer Room and Out-of-refrigeration Time
Freezer rooms normally store products between 0 and -28ºC. The amount of time chilled and frozen products are stored outside of refrigeration time (i.e. during transport hours for distribution) should also be curbed to preserve quality.
The AFGC refers to this as the ‘maximum out of refrigeration time limit’. They further add, “where chilled foods are being unloaded or dispatched in either ambient (normal temperature) or in +5°C to +15°C air conditioned anteroom (temperature zone) conditions, the food is permitted out of the correct refrigeration storage for a maximum of 20 minutes”.
Frozen foods have different ‘maximum out of refrigeration time’ limits. For instance, where frozen foods are being unloaded or dispatched in ambient (normal temperature) conditions, the frozen food is permitted out of the correct refrigeration storage requirement for a maximum time of 20 minutes.
On the other hand, if the anteroom environment is at lower temperatures (for instance +5°C to +15°C or 0°C - +5°C), the frozen foods can be out of the correct refrigerated storage for a maximum of 60 or 90 minutes respectively.
Ice cream in particular is permitted to be outside of the correct refrigeration storage requirement for a maximum of 20 minutes, regardless of the unloading or dispatch requirement. However, this product needs to be loaded last and unloaded first to preserve quality.
A fast action door significantly helps to reduce the 'out of refrigeration time' as they can open and close at a very high speed allowing for forklifts and pallet moving operators to pass through doorways and into transport vehicles quickly and efficiently. For example, a Movidor High Speed Door can open and close at up to 2 metres per second!
Features of the Movidor High Speed Rapid Door:
- Caters for Doorways up to 6000mmW x 7000mmH*.
- Heavy duty guides.
- Integrated relocation system (self-repairs on impact)
- Multiple integrated curtain rigidity battens.
- Yellow ‘soft-edge’ on curtain.
- HS35 Model has an Opening Speed up to 2.0m/sec.
- HS65 Model has an Opening speed up to 1.0m/sec.
- HS50 Model has an Opening speed up to 1.5m/sec
Download the Movidor product brochure here >>
3) Mixed loads
Businesses must also consider the issue of heat exchange with other products, since they could affect the quality of these foods when stored or transported together. It's recommended that businesses separate delivery or storage of foods that require different temperatures to preserve quality of all types of food. Businesses must take the appropriate measures to ensure effective product temperature separation.
Ideally, storage facilities should be equipped with partitions, and frozen products should be located adjacent to evaporators. It is also best for to use dual temperature vehicles and separate compartments when mixing frozen foods and / or chilled foods with other foods.
However, where mixed loads are unavoidable, it is recommended that businesses deliver room-temperature products at +4°C to ensure the never warmer than +5°C rule does not impact the chilled food products in a mixed load.
The AFGC recommends that mixed loads be validated using data loggers or validation checks to confirm and set maximum distances that loads should be carried on the fleet being used due to differences in temperature zones, equipment types and unsegregated food types – fresh, chilled, frozen, ambient or dry goods.
Ensure food quality in your cold chain
The key to maintaining quality of food products is temperature management. Out-of-refrigeration time limits and mixed load concerns only serve to underline the need for businesses to maintain the right temperature for products. And the core element to maintaining cold storage temperature is the right door.
Coolroom Doors for Cold Storage & Commercial Freezer Room
Coolroom environments, such as those in restaurants, supermarkets, or food processing facilities, require specialised doors to maintain temperature control and hygiene standards. Doors for coolroom environments are designed to withstand frequent opening and closing while effectively sealing off the cold storage areas to prevent temperature fluctuations. Coolroom doors come in various configurations, including hinged, sliding, or rapid roll, to accommodate different space constraints and traffic flow requirements. They are constructed with insulated panels and tight sealing mechanisms to minimise heat transfer and ensure energy efficiency. Coolroom doors often feature smooth and easy-to-clean surfaces to meet strict sanitation regulations. With their robust construction and reliable performance, coolroom doors play a vital role in preserving the freshness and safety of perishable goods within refrigerated environments. Strip doors and screens help control temperatures for different types of products stored in the same space or transported in the same vehicle.
Strip doors and screens help control temperatures for different types of products stored in the same space or transported in the same vehicle.
To learn about the ideal coolroom door for your storage facility, contact Remax Doors online or call us on 1800 010 221.