Getting food it its destination fresh - that's what it's all about if you're in the food distribution business - means getting the food you're shipping to its destination fast.
In order to ensure that your food transport makes it from point A to point B safely, there are a few things that you must do to prepare.
To transport a large amount of food safely from one location to another, you must use a temperature controlled vehicle. These vehicles have storage caches that are controlled to reach refrigeration and even freezing temperatures to transfer goods safely, without fear of spoilage that would occur with a vehicle without temperature control. This also applies to plant shipping. These types of vehicles come with quite a bit of insulation throughout the vehicle, in order to keep outside heat from entering. They also often have stainless steel floors, perfect for quick cleanup after transporting an item that could potentially make a mess.
Once your vehicle is ready for action, it's time to figure out exactly how to pack it and with what. If you are going to pack a large number of items for the trip, it's important to figure out where each one will go in the vehicle. Think of your food transport vehicle as a mobile walk-in refrigerator - most restaurants follow the same method for stocking their walk-in, and you should do the same. All raw materials, be they meat, fish or otherwise should go to the bottom rack (or even under the bottom rack) so as to avoid any cross-contamination, which can lead to illness. This is a crucial step that many people in the food service industry tend to forget.
Using both sides of your vehicle in different ways allows you to put all of your raw mean/fish/poultry on the bottom of one side, and your fresh vegetables on or near the bottom of the other side. Since the bottom level is usually the coldest, vegetables keep longer in this area. The next levels can store cheeses, cooked meats or prepared items such as soups. Dry goods that are to be kept chilled can go at the very top, as can anything else that you may have leftover such as liquids or sauces.
Always be sure to clean out your transport vehicle thoroughly after each trip. Otherwise, it's possible for bacteria to buildup, which can in turn contaminate the rest of your food on a future trip. Most professionals recommend using a bleach solution to disinfect your vehicle; especially if you have the added luxury of easy-to-clean stainless steal. Cleaning after every trip can minimize the possibility of contaminating your goods.
Let ShipAlmostAnything.com help you find a food transporter to bid on your business and make the job a breeze. Don't forget: food transport doesn't have to be difficult and with our directory of providers, it won't be.
