Waste of food due to bad cool logistics
Researchers of the Jacob University in Bremen illuminate weak points of food logistics in a study
It is because of bad cool transport logistics chains, why around 35 per cent of all perishable food is worldwide dumped per year. Logistics experts of the Jacobs University achieved this result in a current study about gaps in cool chains for food transport. The study was supported by the Bremen-based logistics company Cool Chain Group. They identified insufficient communication and organisation at the transport hubs as the main defects. Even small temperature fluctuations during transport or reloading can cause significant drops in quality of perishables. A two hours-delay in cooling of strawberry crop can cost 10 per cent of fruit that could have been sold. Better cooling management helps avoiding waste and economic losses, but has also positive effects on the environment. “Every rotting food unit emits 4.5 times as much carbon dioxide. Moreover energy, water and fertilisers can be reduced if less food is dumped or grown“, the university emphasises in a press release. Little effort could yield significant increase in the efficiency of cool chains. The researchers of Jacobs University thus recommend better coordination among the actors within a cool chain, close interlocking of transport steps and reduction of waits at hubs. Quelle: LogEastics |