Reducing food safety risks with Testo’s cold chain solutions.
Every year, millions of dollars are lost in the NZ economy through wasted foodstuffs. There is clearly a need to improve cold chain monitoring and food logistics. Having insight into the food quality is invaluable as it allows manufacturers to ensure that temperatures outside or inadequate stock rotation do not compromise consumable goods.
With Testo’s cold chain monitoring instruments, food safety risks are a thing of the past. We offer solutions that allow operators better insight into cold chain storage and transport conditions of perishable goods in their journey from paddock to plate.
The challenges facing cold chain businesses
In a recent study, it was found that the average food item was taken in and out of refrigeration 14 times before consumption. The cold chain has to respond with an improved way of monitoring cold storage conditions to reduce the risk of perishable goods spoiling from high temperatures.
Three parameters that govern cold chain conditions.
- “Never warmer than” rule. This rule dictates the maximum temperature a food item can rise to without its quality or safety being compromised.
- Maximum “out of refrigeration” rule. This rule stipulates that food that has been out of refrigeration for more than 4 hours must be disposed of.
- “First expiry, first out” rule. A simple rule so that operators can deal with older consumable goods appropriately.
If any of these rules are breached, the item is no longer suitable for sale or even human consumption. It is therefore vital operators keep a close eye on cold chain parameters to avoid food spoilage and loss of income.
So how can food industries combat this? The first step is advancing cold chain monitoring instruments.
Testo's cold chain solutions
Testo New Zealand has advance cold chain solutions for each specific food safety parameter.
Temperature
Testos 104-IR infrared & probe thermometer is a comprehensive solution for monitoring the temperature of stored perishable goods. The infrared can be used to assess surface temperature, whilst the probe allows the operators to check core conditions with little superficial product damage. All information is presented clearly on the instruments easy-to-read display. Furthermore the Testo 104-IR is housed in a waterproof unit to reduce the risk of damage. This makes it easy for freight operators to have the ability to ensure their vehicles safety and quality compliance.
Time out of refrigeration conditions
A worst case scenario for cold chain operators is the breaking down of refrigeration equipment mid transit. The Testo Saveris 2 WiFi Logger is the perfect solution to intergrade into cold storage facilities. It offers a flexible smart alarm system that notifies the driver if the temperatures fall outside a set range. Testo’s Saveris 2 is able to monitor temperature variance over time, and only alerts you once “outside refrigeration” conditions affect stored items. This offers both a convenient and reliable way to ensure that goods reach customers without being compromised.
Stock Rotation
The Testo 184 T3 data logger is an all-encompassing temperature monitoring instrument. It has the capability to store 40,000 temperature measurement values. It is therefore excellent for ensuring food safety and quality compliance standards. Coupled with this is a battery life of 500 days, making the solution a low maintenance and seemless addition to your cold chain monitoring processes. Users are also able to download detailed data reports on transit temperatures in either chart or table form, drastically increasing the efficiency of handling stock rotation.
Improving cold storage processes and reducing food waste requires operators to implement the best monitoring instruments. To find out more about Testo’s sophisticated cold chain solutions, contact our team today!