By Nick Fryer, Vice President of Marketing, Sheer Logistics.

Fresh, seasonal fruit and vegetables tend to be the most nutrient-dense, but many chefs also champion the farm-to-table approach as a chance to implement more climate-friendly practices. As food waste becomes an ever-increasing problem in the US especially, the need to protect food's freshness and ensure its usability is greater than ever.

So much of this, however, depends on that crucial window of time in which food sits in transit. Too long on the road or stored incorrectly and fresh produce quickly wilts away. The right logistics strategies matter, and as we’ll explore in this article, there are plenty of different technologies and interventions that can be used to keep goods fresh from the moment they’re packed into crates to when they land on your plate.

Overcoming Key Challenges in Perishable Goods Transport

Perishable goods transport is a far more high-stakes affair than outsiders realize, with challenges appearing from multiple sides of the operation:

• Environmental Factors: Seasonality doesn’t simply affect what food is ripe for picking, it also shapes transport difficulties. Hot weather calls for greater energy spent on the cold chain, while an extreme winter also has its difficulties. Ice on the road and overly cold trucks can all disrupt the freshness of food in transit. Overcoming this comes down to using more flexible food storage technology and having a strong grip on both real-time and predictive weather analytics.
• Regulatory Compliance: Food spoiling or being contaminated can be deadly, which is why there are such strict hurdles that perishable goods transport systems have to jump through. Here again, new technologies are helping to overcome this challenge. Better tracking, data capture, and packaging, as well as more advanced temperature control, are making it far easier for logistics companies to stay on top of compliance.
• Market Fluctuations: There was a time when kale suddenly became all the rage. Then celery. Balancing supply and demand is a constant juggle in food logistics, and that’s not even mentioning the market fluctuations that affect fuel price, route availability, etc. Overcoming market fluctuations is often about two things: stronger forecasting systems and more nimble operations that can respond quickly to changes.

Essential Strategies for Preserving Freshness on the Move 

Many of the above challenges place food freshness at risk, but by introducing a few essential logistics optimization strategies, the lettuce picked on Thursday can be sitting crisp and bright on a plate a week later. Here’s what to pay attention to:

• Timing the Transport: Pick-up needs to be swift, as does the transit time itself. Route optimization and scheduling tools can transform logistics operations so that food spends as little time as possible waiting in loading bays or stuck in transit. 
• Sustainable Packaging: Advances in packaging design include the use of bio-based plastics made from agro-food residues, as well as sustainable packing with anti-microbial properties. More and more, we’re seeing innovative sustainable materials coming into play that limit both packaging and food waste. There are even “active packaging” systems in which moisture absorbers and oxygen scavengers are being used to maintain food quality.
• Controlled Environment: Humidity, light exposure, and temperature all need to be controlled to maintain proper food freshness. Even the slightest shift can steal valuable quality and shelf-time from goods.
• Careful Packing: It’s not just what food is packaged in but how it’s packed that can impact freshness. Overly crowded vehicles can leave fruits and vegetables bruised and browning. Careful packing approaches are fundamental for preserving food freshness on the move.
• Proper Training: Whether it’s packing skills or knowing when to respond to cold chain issues, much of this comes down to training. Logistics operations need to have staff on hand that understand all angles of how to manage perishable goods safely and efficiently.
• Constant Monitoring: Weather changes, refrigerators falter, and sometimes, even the most carefully packed produce can go flying. Constant monitoring needs to be an intrinsic part of any perishable good transport system. IoT sensors, GPS tracking, and CCTV can all be implemented to assist.

Advanced Temperature Control Solutions for Cold Chain Efficiency

Little determines farm-to-table freshness like cold chain efficiency. Here are two of the most advanced temperature control solutions that are transforming food quality:

• IoT Sensors with Automated Alerts: IoT sensors can be set up on just about any aspect of a cold chain, but they’re particularly useful in refrigeration set-ups as they can send out automated alerts if, for example, a fridge breaks down.
• NFC and RFID: These can be used to monitor humidity and temperature and flag when things fluctuate. They’ve been highly successful in improving food freshness and have the added bonus of tracking data throughout, which is great for both regulatory compliance and shaping future cold chain strategies.

Streamlining Transportation Routes to Maximize Freshness

Fresh food has a limited shelf life. Even the best temperature control systems won’t be enough if food gets stuck in transit for too long. That’s why streamlining transport routes is so important. GPS tracking, used alongside predictive analytics regarding weather and traffic, can help optimize routes so that food spends as little time on the road as possible. Scheduling technology can also be used to assist and help minimize how much time it takes for goods to be swapped from one mode of transport to another.

Ensuring farm-to-table freshness is about taking care at every step of the supply chain. That means paying attention to routing and embracing everything from innovative packaging to advanced cold storage.

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