Food Distribution And Food Quality

Elements of Food Quality in Food Distribution

Produce and food quality where food distribution is concerned, is a big issue. Maintaining the food’s freshness during transit is crucial to happy customers and good sales. Spoiled food, low quality food, or food that has a short shelf life can affect your profit margin and hurt business. Consider these key elements when choosing your sources for food distribution.

Time

No food lasts forever, and some point all food will spoil. Whether its melting, molding, rotting, or wilting, food goes bad. Time is always key when handling and distributing food. Be sure to run tight schedules if you are a supplier. Or, if you a purchaser, talk to your supplier about the days of the week produce, meat, dairy etc. are freshest. Buying food that is as fresh as possible will reduce food fast as you have more time to use it before it goes bad.

Temperature Control

Hot and cold affect your food. Particularly produce. If you are transporting food and it is too cold you can completely destroy produce and even dairy. Lack of temperature control in food distribution can make meat or baked goods dry out, mold, develop harmful bacteria, or rot. It is important to maintain climates in delivery trucks and storage areas whenever possible.

Temperatures that are too hot can also damage your food. Frozen food that is being distributed will be ruined if it thaws, costing you money and customers. Warm temperatures also encourage mold growth, can change the taste of cheese and dairy products, wilt produce, and even ruin consistencies and textured of processed foods.

As an additional note, humidity needs to be taken into account when delivering or distributing food as well. Humidity can affect food just as much as temperature, and when combined with extreme temperatures – it can cause even  more damage! Humidifiers and de-humidifies should be used where needed, and make sure refrigerators and store rooms are kept dry and to temperatures determined by health and safety officials.

Handling

Customers want fresh food that tastes good. Your job is to provide it to them. Don’t damage your own merchandise so to speak by improperly handling food. Don’t drop food or handle it carelessly when loading or unloading into vehicles. This could cause packages to open, items to spill, fragile food items like eggs to break, and more. Treat food your are distributing like food you bring home to your own family.

Handling food in distribution also entails making sure it is properly stored. Don’t mix meat and produce to prevent bacterial contamination that could make your customers sick, and don’t compromise on temperatures when it comes to storage. A few degrees can cause some foods to spoil which cuts into your profit.

Remember – proper food distribution practices are an avenue to you making more money by having better tasting, fresher foods for your customers. It also saves you money by reducing food waste. Considering Time, Temperature, and Handling when it comes to your food distribution process can save you money so talk to your suppliers about best practices today!