Whichwarehouse is aware that in a marketplace that is increasingly globalised and interconnected, the way fresh fruit and vegetables are carried from origin to destination is changing. The expansion of online distribution integrating New Distribution Hubs (temperature controlled warehouses), is at the heart of this food ecommerce innovation.
The supply chain itself is in a continual state of flux, shaped and re-shaped by the emergence of new markets and shifting patterns of consumer demand. Distributors are rising to these challenges and aided by technological advances are improving their efficiency.
As lifestyles grow ever more diverse, there will be a continued preference for easy-to-prepare tasty and nutritious food. If suppliers can keep food fresher for longer, high-quality taste and nutrition will be sustained. This will result in greater customer satisfaction, increased sales, less product wastage and therefore higher profits.
In terms of distribution, any innovation to keep food fresher for longer is a no-brainer.
Therefore, have you considered utilising new Distribution Hubs to keep your food fresh and safe for your customers? You may ask where are cold storage warehouse rentals and where do I locate cold storage facilities near me? The complete answer is Whichwarehouse…we are logistics and storage experts.
There have been innovations in frozen food storage, warehousing, freezing techniques, and packaging that provide consumers with more choices that have resulted in a greater demand for frozen food products. Fresh food processes require similar innovations.
How then do fresh food distributors keep food fresher, for longer?
To solve the problem, companies have begun to build Distribution Hubs to accelerate the packing and shipping processes.
There is a more fundamental legislative imperative to protect all players in the fresh food industry…health and safety food standards.
According to the Food Standard Agency fresh food companies must:
- “Ensure that food is safe when it is delivered to consumers
- Make the same level of information available online as on the food labelling to the consumer – before the purchase is made.
- Consideration should also be given to the temperature control during delivery for refrigerated or frozen items. This ensures the food remains safe through the supply chain and the quality does not deteriorate.
- Perishable goods will require further consideration concerning temperature controls.”
What is your responsibility as a food business operator?
You are responsible for making sure that the food you sell or supply is safe and meets all applicable legal requirements. Under EU law Regulation (EC) No178/2002, you must ensure that:
- The food you sell or supply is safe (it is fit for human consumption and not injurious to health)
- You can identify the businesses from whom you have obtained food, ingredients or food-producing animals and the businesses you have supplied with products. You must be able to produce this information on demand. This is known as traceability.
- Unsafe food is withdrawn from sale or recalled from consumers if it has already been sold. The Food Standards Agency (FSA) and local authority must be notified.
- Labelling, advertising and presentation of food do not mislead consumers. Under the Food Information Regulations (2014) businesses have a responsibility to ensure food is labelled correctly.
Significant penalties can be imposed by the courts for food safety offences.
Penalties vary from fines of £5000 and/or six months’ imprisonment to unlimited fines and/or imprisonment for up to two years on conviction at the Crown Court, depending on the offence. Offences by corporate bodies are provided for and if there is a fatality the offence of corporate manslaughter may be applied.
There is further Food Standards Agency (FSA) guidance on their official website.
Whichwarehouse can advise, assist and facilitate your upgrade to new Distribution Hubs, which will remodel and innovate your business. We can signpost you to cold storage warehouse rentals and locate cold storage facilities near you.
We specialise in sourcing warehouse space and logistics services within the UK and Ireland. Whichwarehouse will facilitate any requirements relating to storage, fulfilment and distribution. We even have access to industrial properties that are available for rent (short and long-term) as well as office space on site (at some locations) so you can be close to your products but still being able to concentrate on other aspects of your business such as sales, marketing and procurement.
Whichwarehouse was originally set up to provide an online advertising directory for warehouse operators/warehouse owners/landlords etc. to advertise their properties on an industry-specific portal. We realised that there was a niche in the market whereby we could match manufacturers and suppliers requiring storage and distribution solutions to those warehouse owners/3PL providers who had the available space and value-added services required. Thus, our matching service was integrated into our advertising package, this having proved to be very successful.
The Whichwarehouse directory has an established network of experienced and professional third party logistics and warehouse providers covering locations throughout the UK and Ireland. We can assist with your logistics requests for anything from self-storage to pallet or bulk storage through to a complete supply chain solution for your products, even delivering to the end user. The facilities included in our network provide storage and distribution services for general and bulk goods, hazardous and pharmaceutical products, items subject to Duty and VAT deferment as well as general self-storage units.
Some of our members can offer a complete commercial storage and logistics solution including distribution and forwarding, RH&D, order picking, stock control, re-working & re-kitting, EDI (Electronic Data Interchange) and PDI (Pre-delivery inspection). Some have available outside space for vehicle parking or external storage requirements and many warehouses have dock levelers, temperature control facilities, operate forklifts and most warehouse facilities are fully secure with CCTV and alarm systems.
If you need to find storage space or a 3PL provider please click on the FIND SPACE button on our welcome page and use the map to search for current available solutions or for assistance, please contact our friendly and knowledgeable team on 0800 1707555. If you are a warehouse operator, please contact us to request details on our advertising package.
Whichwarehouse can advise, assist and facilitate your upgrade to new Distribution Hubs, cold storage rentals, cold storage warehouse rentals and locate cold storage facilities near you, which will remodel and innovate your business. Most importantly we help you to keep your end users safe and the reputational integrity of your company intact.