Implementation of Cold Chain Management for Toll Processing Customers

Summary

This project will implement cold chain tracking technology for one processor and its customers to validate cold chain performance. Prediction of shelf life for brand owners is expected to reduce claims and improve product quality for end user customers. Methods for improving cold chain performance and the benefits will be documented.

Objectives

• To review and consider existing technologies and work practice as well as emerging technologies and implications to existing work practices.
• Validate the cold chain management technology with ACC product and customers to cover a range of scenarios, i.e., different countries, air/sea freight etc.
• Quantify the commercial benefit of cold chain management and the potential for shelf-life prediction, as well as the current and potential commercial benefit to the brand owner.
• Evaluate in country performance using the shelf-life model and conduct simulations of shelf-life when entering countries for new customers.
• Evaluate the utility and performance of the shelf-life model for shipping to different countries and via different transit methods.
• Consider offering real-time cold chain monitoring and automated shelf-live model implementation to new customers in addition to older methodologies (USB temperature data logging & manual shelf-life calculation.)
• Generate a case study on how ACC went with the adoption of new technology.

Key findings

Monitoring and mitigation or elimination of temperature excursions in the supply chain, as well as better assessments of their net effects on microbial count and shelf life, could reduce product rejections and ultimately reduce insurance premiums for those brands and producers who best take advantage of these technologies.

Benefits to industry

• The reputation of Australia and of individual Australian brands and producers of chilled beef is further enhanced through in-transit cold chain monitoring, including automated flagging of temperature excursions and the ability to assess their likely impact on arrival shelf life. 
• These systems enable shipment routes to be assessed and managed or improved, and the quality of the product (including estimates of microbial count and remaining shelf life) to be provided to customers.
• Sharing this data with supply chain participants enhances awareness of supply-chain issues and of the quality of Australian product and creates capacity to build better relationships whilst maintaining accountability.
• Monitoring and mitigation or elimination of temperature excursions in the supply chain, as well as better assessments of their net effects on microbial count and shelf life, could reduce product rejections and ultimately reduce insurance premiums for those brands and producers who best take advantage of these technologies.

MLA action

Progress to stage 2 for commercial adoption.

Future research

• improvements to tracker configurations for more frequent data acquisition while maintaining sufficient battery life
• shelf-life algorithms adoption.