Categories: Resource

What Is Temperature-Controlled Packaging And Which Food Products Require It?

If you are in the business of transporting perishables, you probably know about the term temperature-controlled packaging. But what is it exactly, and why does your business require it?

A cold chain is defined as a supply chain network for perishable goods that need to be kept at low temperatures through the whole shipping process to avoid products getting spoiled and keep the quality and safety standards high. Some of the food products that require temperature controlled food packaging for safe transportation are meats, seafood, fish, poultry, dairy, and fruits and vegetables.

The main types of temperature-controlled packaging

Temperature-controlled packaging is an essential component of cold chain shipping, being the first line of defense for perishable products. In most cases, proper cold chain packaging can remove the need for costly refrigerated systems. The three primary types of temperature-controlled packaging are active, passive, and hybrid.

1. Active temperature-controlled packaging

Active temperature-controlled packaging has electrical systems, that are mostly powered by fossil fuels, to keep the temperatures low with the help of thermostatic control. Even though active packaging systems are reliable, they are expensive to maintain and repair in the case of a technical issue.

2. Passive temperature-controlled packaging

Passive temperature-controlled packaging makes use of insulating materials to protect perishable products from ambient temperatures. Being much cheaper than refrigerated units, passive systems have a risk of spoilage if the shipment is delayed or if the transit time exceeds the capacity of the packaging.

3. Hybrid temperature-controlled packaging

A lot of companies that transport perishable products use both active and passive cold chain systems because this approach is effective for extremely sensitive foods such as fish or seafood, where the margin is in temperature controlled food packaging for error is very small.

Sameer

Sameer is a writer, entrepreneur and investor. He is passionate about inspiring entrepreneurs and women in business, telling great startup stories, providing readers with actionable insights on startup fundraising, startup marketing and startup non-obviousnesses and generally ranting on things that he thinks should be ranting about all while hoping to impress upon them to bet on themselves (as entrepreneurs) and bet on others (as investors or potential board members or executives or managers) who are really betting on themselves but need the motivation of someone else’s endorsement to get there.

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