Economic Impact of Temperature Control during Food Transportation—A COVID-19 Perspective

Abstract

Temperature fluctuation and abuse in the food cold chain (FCC) is becoming an increasingly crucial factor in the process of food production and for the logistic business, especially in COVID-19 pandemic. The quality of perishable food products depends largely on accurate transport and maintenance temperature. The evidence for temperature-related food waste and loss is extensive. The research problem is thus: how to decrease and control food losses caused by temperature abuse in the FCC and restrictions due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The primary objective is to propose a framework for real-time temperature measurement protocols supported by passive RFID, IoT and Statistical Process Control (SPC) charts. This method allows not only the signaling of temperature abuse alerts but, in addition to hitherto methods, investigation and mitigation of the causes of process instability of individual FCC links in the future. The secondary objective is to delineate the necessary data sources and ways of their collection and utilization in order to decrease food losses and waste via process stabilization of temperature in transport and storage. As contribution to current literature and practice, we offer an in-depth analysis of threats in the FCC in food transport and storage infrastructure and a solution supplemented by SPC charts and tested in controlled experiments that is practicable from economic and technical standpoints.

The Multifaceted Relationship between the COVID-19 Pandemic and the Food System

“…However, food loss and food waste were particularly observed on the transport front, in which the maintenance of the cold chain was the crucial point [ 37 , 112 ]. This can be very difficult during all the stages, from production to trade, when temperature fluctuations can easily occur, causing food waste also in normal situations [ 113 ].…”

“…These problems were exacerbated by the pandemic since transport required higher costs and longer times (e.g., due to health screening of workers), and furthermore, the processes were slowed down by the shortage of workers. One example is given by the difficulties in cargo handling of goods traded by sea, but inconveniences were also widely observed in air, land, or railway transportation [ 112 ]. In these situations, and especially while loading or unloading goods, food products were exposed to unsuitable environmental conditions for a long time, with temperature increasing up to 10 °C [ 114 ], and thus spoiled.…”

“…Another important issue raised from the pandemic is the maintenance of the cold chain during food transport, to minimize both food losses and food waste, as well as the survival of SARS-CoV-2 on food surfaces. In this regard, correct practices established by international standards (e.g., ISO 9001, ISO 22000, FSSC 22000, HACCP, but also ISO 26,000 that represents an international standard for Corporate Social Responsibility) and specialized agencies (e.g., EFSA for European Union and FDA for the United States) should be carefully followed during food transport, but also in all other phases of food handling [ 112 ]. Additionally, for greater efficiency in accomplishing this purpose, Statistical Process Control (SPC) tools are increasingly recommended for food quality and food safety control, including monitoring transport temperatures.…”

“…Additionally, for greater efficiency in accomplishing this purpose, Statistical Process Control (SPC) tools are increasingly recommended for food quality and food safety control, including monitoring transport temperatures. These methods are supported by new technologies, such as the Internet of Things (IoT), a complex system that collects data from a multitude of sensors, such as Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) sensors, allowing not only real-time signaling of thermal abuses, but also to investigate the causes and prevent future inconvenience [ 112 ]. Future research in this innovative and promising field is desirable, to implement a system of traceability and maintenance of the cold chain during food transport.…”

Building “First Expire, First Out” models to predict food losses at retail due to cold chain disruption in the last mile

“…Addressing how to best approach last mile problems is a key component of the United States Food and Drug Administration (2021) (FDA) "New Era of Smarter Food Safety" and can help regulatory bodies to further strengthen the food supply chain. Skawińska and Zalewski (2022) proposed the use of real time temperature monitoring using various technologies as an effective tool in the food cold chain. Additionally, research has been conducted to improve the design of reefer trucks and introduce new components to the container itself to improve air circulation, establish loading/unloading patterns, and improve cooling efficiencies (Tassou et al, 2009;Rai et al, 2019;So et al, 2021).…”