When we go to the grocery store or order food online, we usually don’t think much about how it got there. But behind the scenes, there’s a whole system at work to make sure the food we eat is safe. This system is called logistics, and it plays a crucial role in ensuring the safety of our food.
Logistics is all about getting things from one place to another efficiently and safely. When it comes to food, this means making sure that the journey from the farm to your plate is as smooth as possible. Temperature control is essential, especially for perishable foods like meat, dairy, and fresh produce. Trucks are equipped with special refrigeration systems to keep food at the right temperature. This helps prevent spoilage and the growth of harmful bacteria.
To prevent loss or deterioration, raw materials must be transported using the appropriate medium and means, for instance, eggs should be transported in crates well arranged before haulage and drivers of vehicles carrying sensitive products of such should drive them carefully on bad roads if there are no other alternative routes. Fresh products like fruits and vegetables should also be transported in cold vans to keep them safe.
It’s also very important that finished products should be arranged and transported in a way and manner that there won’t be physical, or biological damage to the product on getting to the table. Proper handling and packaging are essential to food safety.
Logistics experts need to work with food manufacturers to ensure that packaging materials are safe and suitable for the type of food they are protecting and safety regulation involves coordinating inspections, documentation, and compliance with government standards. Logistics professionals work closely with regulatory agencies to guarantee that the food supply chain is following all necessary rules and guidelines.
Lastly, logistics is like the unsung hero of food safety. It ensures that our food gets to us in the best possible condition, minimizing the risk of contamination and spoilage. So when next you order food and enjoy it, remember that there is a whole world of logistics behind it, working to keep your food safe.
Do you agree?
I am in agreement with you on this though there are still many areas of improvement as regards food safety consideration
Absolutely!
Thank you for engaging, Sir.
Good piece. Quite educative. Well done NIFST.
Thank you for engaging, Sir.
Excellent contribution to the subject of transportation of fresh foods Madam. You are talking of the ideal. However the practice in Nigeria for fresh fruits and vegetables is to transport them in open trucks sometimes not in crates or baskets. Then due to the poor condition of the roads, these trucks spend days on the road instead of hours thereby adversely affecting the freshness of the food when it gets to the market destination. Live cattle is also moved in this manner. The condition of these animals when they get to the last point of slaughter is also another kettle of fish.
We must change our orientation about how we treat fresh foods. This will help reduce drastically post harvest losses.
I agree with you, Ma. although it’s being practiced across the food industry to ensure food safety, and for the farmers transporting vegetables in an open van to the markets to be sold, I’m optimistic that with the right training, and ensuring that the van is in the right condition, we can achieve the ideal situation for transporting vegetables here.
Thank you for engaging, ma.
Great contribution Ify.
However let’s look at Party Foods. Some ready to eat Fresh Fish have lost their integrity. Some Salads are deteriorating. Continental dishes with Seafoods are dangerous etc.
We need to call attention to these dangerous lapses, not only to manufactured foods.
I agree with you on this, ma.
Thank you for your valid contribution, ma.
Logistic is the unsung hero and bedrock for a food safety practice
Absolutely.
Thank you for engaging, Ifedayo.