Retail cold storage – Best practices on how to store and handle food.

In the retail industry, it’s vital that you store your products in a temperature-controlled environment.

Renting a reefer container unit is an excellent way to extend the cold storage capacity for your retail establishment.

It is a well-known fact that the storage temperature of frozen and chilled foods reduces the risk of contamination and increases the time available for consumption.

The cold helps in the conservation of fresh foods and delays the emergence and development of organisms harmful to human health.

Therefore, it is essential that businesses that store and handle food pay careful attention to the conditions of the products they offer.

Many products, frozen and cooled, need special care for their proper conservation. In cases of loss, the losses are usually significant, since refrigeration equipment in retail establishments typically stores goods of various types and large quantities.

In this way, it is essential to try to minimize any occurrence with the cold chain in order not to generate any negative impact, both for the retailer and for the final consumer.

Here are some best practices and pieces of advice that should always be taken into consideration:

• The minimum possible variation of temperatures of the products from their production to the table of the consumer must be guaranteed;

• The products should be taken immediately to their storage place and should not be outside their ideal storage temperature;

• Also, it’s crucial to take into consideration that different products have different cold storage temperatures needs. Fruits, vegetables, and meat should not be packed together in the same unit;

• The place where the products are to be stored must be kept clean and sanitized;

• It is critical that raw and cooked products are always stocked apart from each other while in storage. This prevents the risk of cross-contamination;

• Items should be placed on shelves in an organized manner, never touching the walls or the floor and stacked in a way that allows adequate circulation of cold air;

• Never store goods above the maximum capacity of each piece of equipment. This will trigger a higher requirement and will increase the chances of a crash. The consumption of electric energy also rises, and products may not be at optimal temperature;

• Always make sure that the ‘best before’ labels of the products are properly displayed when storing and promote a good stock rotation. This way it reduces the chances of overdue products inside the cold equipment;

• Maintain a constant and very frequent process of controlling the temperature of the cold equipment;

• Always keep equipment doors closed or with minimum opening times and avoid sources of heat in the vicinity of cold storage equipment.