Introducing Andrew Bakker as the Newest Member of Our Team
May 10, 2021Common Food Preservation Methods
May 25, 2021If your home refrigerator breaks down, you might lose a week’s worth of groceries. If your frozen food storage facility breaks down, you might lose millions of dollars worth of groceries.
The stakes are high in frozen food storage and there’s no shortage of challenges for anyone who wants to get into frozen food warehousing. You have to maintain different temperature requirements for different foods. It’s difficult to keep food cold while it’s being loaded to and from the warehouse. Additionally, you’ll need to have systems in place that can alert you of any temperature changes.
The article below describes some more challenges to consider with regards to frozen food warehousing. Read on to learn all the ways you need to prepare if you’re expanding your frozen food warehousing business.
Technology Is Your Friend When It Comes to Food Warehousing
One of the most difficult aspects of frozen food warehousing is making sure you have enough room for new products while also having enough supply to meet current orders. This is where supply chain technology can help. Data management software keeps everyone aware of how much product is coming in, how much is going out, and where demand might shift next.
You Must Adhere to Strict Regulations
The FDA has very specific regulations when it comes to frozen food storage. It’s your job, as a frozen food management professional, to adhere to these regulations while remaining profitable. These regulations extend to the machinery in your warehouse; you’ll also have to ensure that any frozen food storage products remain FDA compliant.
Overhead Costs Can Be Expensive
In food-storage management, energy is one of the most expensive costs. The U.S. Energy Administration estimates the average cost of commercial power at over 10 cents per kWh. Combine these costs with the upfront costs of purchasing cold storage freezers, and it becomes clear that it’s difficult to remain profitable.
Consumer Trends Are Driving up Demand for Frozen Food
Today’s consumers want their food to be as fresh as possible. They also want healthy food, which means more brands are entering the market as healthy options. These two factors have combined to create an environment in which frozen food warehouses need to have a huge variety of products. More products require more frozen storage containers, and more temperatures to monitor.
Frozen Food Warehousing Is in High Demand
As mentioned above, consumer trends have made it so the cold storage industry is in high demand. That’s good news for your frozen food warehousing business, but it comes with a list of unique challenges that must be overcome for the business to remain profitable.
That’s why it’s worth considering partnering with companies that can help manage some aspect of cold storage. SunLeaf offers a cold storage program that can help take the stress off your operations. For more information on the Cold Chain Program, click here.