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No compromise on quality: the essential role of the cold chain

Written by METRO LOGISTICS | Aug 29, 2023 8:15:02 AM

Compliance with strict cold chain and hygiene regulations is crucial in the food industry. Every step along the supply chain must be carefully planned and monitored to ensure that the required temperatures are maintained. 

Demanding cold chain compliance regulations

The regulations for maintaining the cold chain are clear: perishable foods that need to be kept cool must not exceed the correct product-specific temperature from processing to delivery to the consumer. Frozen goods, for example, must be kept at a constant temperature of -18°C or below, ultra-fresh items such as meat and fish at 0 to 2°C, fresh items such as dairy products or sausages at 0 to 6°C, and fruits and vegetables in three different temperature zones from 4 to 16°C.

How METRO LOGISTICS ensures the cold chain

At METRO LOGISTICS, we bring over 25 years of experience in refrigerated and frozen logistics to the table. We ensure optimal conditions for your products - from storage and comprehensive quality assurance to delivery. 

Our infrastructure and team ensure that regulations are adhered to and cold chains are maintained. The focus is always on the correct temperature: our service includes the storage and transport of goods at different temperatures in the respective temperature zone required.

Download our whitepaper free of charge: Food logistics - demanding along the entire supply chain

We know that even minimal deviations from the target temperature can spoil the highly sensitive goods. Therefore, we ensure continuous temperature monitoring with temperature measurements at several control points. Our special vehicles have multi-chamber trailers with different cooling zones.

Tiefkühllogistik hält die Kühlkette intakt

Our deep-freeze warehouses go far beyond the legal requirements and keep the temperature at around -21°C. If required, we can even realize temperatures of -25°C. This is because special goods such as high-quality seafood, tuna for sushi or certain types of ice cream and frozen desserts require special storage solutions. Other products, such as fresh fish or fresh meat, in turn require different cooling conditions. Here, a constant temperature of no more than 2°C must be maintained to ensure the freshness of the products.

In Gross-Gerau, METRO LOGISTICS operates an ultra-fish logistics platform for handling fresh fish and fresh meat with a temperature range of 0-2°C that meets EU hygiene standards. The area of 5,000 square meters is also continuously cooled to a maximum of 2 degrees Celsius to create optimal conditions for incoming and outgoing products. Around 10,000 tons of fish are handled here per year.

Monitoring for a continuous cold chain

Our seamless monitoring as well as all necessary controls, such as the measurement of core temperature or other control points, are guaranteed by our comprehensive quality and self-checking system. In addition to temperature controls, our processes are also carried out according to the strict HACCP standards as well as the highest hygiene and quality standards according to IFS Logistics and the QS system. Maintaining the cold chain along the entire supply chain is crucial for the shelf life and safety of food and is a top priority for us at METRO LOGISTICS.

Seven cooling zones for the refrigerated and frozen goods

METRO LOGISTICS offers temperature-controlled warehouse locations with up to seven different cooling zones to find the ideal temperature for storage, cross-docking, picking as well as transport of your chilled and frozen goods. We also have specialized storage solutions for different food segments, from frozen products to fresh meat and fish, as well as fresh items such as dairy products or sausages. Our logistics solutions offer maximum security, quality, on-time delivery and transparency.

Are you looking for reliable solutions for temperature-controlled food logistics? Contact us at METRO LOGISTICS today and discover how we can optimize your processes. We look forward to your inquiry!