Refrigeration Control in International Transport and Distribution

Summary

An assessment of the refrigeration and handling practices for Australian chilled and frozen meats in international trade and its relationship to Food Safety was investigated.

36 Containers of chilled beef from Australia to Japan and 12 containers of frozen meats from Australia to the United States were investigated. Meat temperatures in the containers sent to Japan were always below 3°C and more than 97.5% of the time
were below 1C. While there was a major problem with ingress/loss of warm/cold air with one of these containers, the meat temperatures were maintained at 1.2°C or less.

Eleven of the 12 containers monitored to the States had air temperatures at -18°C or colder; one had an air temperature between -18°C and -14°C. Within Japan during the summer of 1997, the domestic meat distribution lines were
investigated on 32 occasions. It was regarded as one of the hottest summers in the last ten years. During distribution, the actual fluctuations in meat temperature from 0C were minimal, usually only a 2°C or 3°C. By far, the worst example of temperature abuse had a surface temperature above 5°C but below 9°C for 25 hr. There were two other examples of temperature abuse where the meat surface temperatures were over 5°C for 1 hr (at 1 C for 4.5 hr) and above 5°C for 6 hr (at 9°C but below 1 o•c for 4.5 hr). Whilst this has negligible effect on Food Safety there will be an effect on weep and on the shelf-life of the meat in the vacuum pack and on the display-life of the resultant retail packs of meat.

Within the USA, 12 containers were successfully investigated within the domestic distribution system. These containers were snow shot at the West Coast Terminals and transported without mechanical refrigeration on trans-continental rail hauls to eastern
destinations. The air temperatures in a snow shot container are usually held below -1 C for 10 days, which is adequate time to deliver the product to customers. There were three exceptions. On one occasion the air temperature increased to -5°C after
only two and a half days and to -2.3°C after five days from snow shooting. The air temperature within the other two containers at the time of unloading (six days from snow shooting) was between -5°C and -2°C. No damage to cartons and no loss of product due to unsound condition were found.

On both shipping routes to Japan and the to West Coast of America and within their internal distribution channels there was no cause for concern by Australian Exporters with the Food Safety of Australian meats. However there is some concern about the
temperature controVJntegrity of containers with the snow shooting operation in the USA.

A pre-delivery test for "air or gas tightness" or an alternative test to determine integrity of containers is strongly recommended.