What is Cold Chain Logistics?
Refrigerated logistics refers to the systematic engineering that maintains chilled or frozen food products within regulated low-temperature environments throughout all stages, from production, storage, transportation, sales, to consumption, to ensure food quality and minimize losses. It is established with the advancement of science and technology, particularly the development of refrigeration techniques, and is based on cryogenic technology with refrigeration methods as its means.
Chilled Logistics Composition (Part 1)
The food cold chain consists of four aspects: frozen processing, frozen storage, refrigerated transportation and distribution, and frozen sales.
Chilled Processing:
Cooling and freezing of meat, poultry, fish, and eggs, as well as processing operations under low-temperature conditions; also includes pre-cooling of fruits and vegetables; and low-temperature processing of various frozen foods and dairy products. The main cold chain equipment involved in this stage includes cooling, freezing, and rapid freezing units.
Cold Storage Solutions:
Incorporating cooling and freezing storage for food, as well as controlled atmosphere storage for fruits and vegetables, it ensures a low-temperature preservation environment during storage and processing. This stage primarily involves various cold storage rooms, processing areas, refrigerators, freezers, and household refrigerators.
Chilled Logistics Composition (Part Two)
Refrigerated Transportation:
Low-temperature conditions for the logistics processes including medium and long-distance transportation, as well as short-distance distribution, of food. It primarily involves low-temperature transport tools such as railway refrigerated cars, refrigerated trucks, refrigerated ships, and refrigerated containers. During refrigerated transportation, temperature fluctuations are one of the main causes of food quality degradation, thus, the transport vehicles must have excellent performance. They need to maintain the specified temperature while also ensuring stable temperatures, particularly for long-distance transport.
Refrigerated Sales:
The cold chain storage and sales of various chilled food products in the wholesale and retail sectors are jointly completed by manufacturers, wholesalers, and retailers. With the rapid development of various chain supermarkets in cities of all sizes across the country, these supermarkets are becoming the main sales channels for chilled food products. In these retail terminals, a large number of refrigerated display cases and storage facilities are used, as they have gradually become an indispensable and crucial part of the complete food cold chain.
