Providing warehousing and logistics resources in the food and beverage industry is not easy, but smooth operations are critical to delivering safe food.

Fremont, CA: Most of the modern storage and distribution companies recognize their role in food safety. Even logistics leaders are well aware of BRCGS Global Standards for Storage and Distribution and how compliance to it assures their food and beverage customers that know what they are doing as far as a hazard and risk analysis, facility management, and fair operating practices are concerned. However, recently storage and distribution companies, particularly those operating in the cold chain, are looking to display their understanding of food safety to their customers.

The primary aim of all the food safety management systems is to encourage good hygiene and prevent incidents that make food commodities or products very dangerous for humans and animals.

Here are the three most important issues that the companies involved in the storage, distribution, or transport of food should focus on.

1. Temperature management – Transportation of refrigerated, frozen, and hot foods poses a significant challenge to food carriers. Often temperatures are not very clearly defined in specifications. That's where the ATP agreements step in. They cite to a 1970 United Nations treaty, which has established the standards for the international transport of perishable food items.

2. Food defense – How public venues like the stadiums and airports must be protected, the food supply chain's security should be defended from any intentional attacks. Attacks can be made by disgruntled employees, vandals, or bioterrorists in contamination using chemicals, biological agents, or other harmful substances. Whether the aim is to kill people or ruin a specific business, a terrorist's act can be challenging to point out and even harder to predict. A food protection system defends not only the health of the consumers but also the reputation of the businesses that play a part in the production of that particular food.

3. Food fraud – Food storage and administering companies should help prevent deliberate substitution, tampering, or any wrong representation of food, food ingredients, and food packaging. Increased potential for economic gain and the low risk of consequence or discovery creates a tempting recipe for food fraud.

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