From Farm to Fork: Selecting a Reliable Food & Beverage Shipper

Increasingly, consumers are looking into minimizing the distance food takes to get to their home, but there is still some transportation needed. Whether the product is made and sold throughout the country or it’s a smaller business that focuses on local sales, finding the right food and beverage shipper is vital. While looking at the options, it is important to consider all of the following. 

Look at Temp Control and Compliance

Storage temperatures are vital for food products, even if the products don’t need to be refrigerated. Many items still require climate control to avoid getting too hot during the shipment. When looking at food and beverage shippers, ask about their ability to handle temperature-sensitive items with air conditioning, refrigeration, or freezing. Make sure there is real-time monitoring during the transportation to ensure all food products are kept at the right temperature until they arrive at their destination, and ask how they handle potential issues. 

Check Packaging and Handling

Generic shipping companies may not understand how to transport food and beverages properly to prevent damage, make sure the packages are secure, and handle both bulk shipments as well as smaller shipments. It is a good idea to look for a transport company that is experienced in packaging and handling food and beverages to reduce potential waste and ensure products make it safely to their destination. 

Assess the Speed and Reliability

No one wants to handle late deliveries, but it does happen. Still, it is important to look for shipping companies that have a proven record of timely deliveries, including during surges, to minimize the potential for items to be delivered late. Make sure they have distribution hubs in place to route deliveries more efficiently and that they can make changes as needed to help ensure all products are delivered to the destination as quickly as possible. This can help to significantly reduce waste and ensure customer satisfaction. 

Check Tracking and Other Tools

Transparency is key today, and the latest technological advancements in the trucking industry should make transparency even easier. Ask about the different tools that can be used to keep an eye on shipments, such as GPS tracking for the trucks. This helps to ensure food products are being shipped properly and delivered to the next location in a timely manner. Look into digital documents for compliance, automated alerts for delays or changes, and more. 

Look into Sustainability

The trucking industry in general is changing and moving towards more sustainable efforts to help reduce the impact on the environment, but not all shipping companies are working on this. Businesses will want to ask about the sustainable efforts the shipping company uses to make sure they are looking toward the future and working on reducing their impact as much as possible. Look for companies that use fuel-efficient fleets, optimize routes to minimize the carbon footprint, or use recyclable packaging materials when possible. 

Transportation is a vital component for getting food from where it’s grown or made to the consumers, so it’s important to choose the right transportation company to use. The tips here can help with picking out a transportation company that’s right for the business, no matter how far the food has to travel to get to consumers. Look into the options today to find the right one for your business.