Cold Chain Basics with Andy Bahr

Andy Bahr is the Founder and CEO of Bahr Transportation, a freight brokerage that specializes in refrigerated truckload shipments (reefers).

In the podcast interview, Andy and Joe discuss cold chain basics and the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA).

Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA)

The FSMA was signed into law Jan. 4, 2011 and is the biggest overall in the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in history.
Ensures safety and security of the food and feed supply to protect human and animal health.
Assess and mitigate food safety risk from farm to fork – treat it like chain of custody
FSMA in a nutshell
- Written food safety plan
- Identify potential hazards / risks
- Implement preventative control to mitigate risks
- Monitor controls to ensure they are done
- Training
- Documentation
Types of food subject to FSMA
- Food transported in bulk, where the food touches the walls of the vehicle (Example: juices)
- Packaged foods not fully enclosed by a container (Example: fresh produce)
- Food that require temperature control for safety (Example: beef)

Cold Chain Basics

A cold chain is a temperature-controlled supply chain for perishable food products, pharmaceuticals, and chemicals in order to maintain their quality and increase their shelf-life.
A cold chain is essential because it:
- Reduces food loss due to spoilage
- Enhances food safety and quality
- Balances and manages the supply and demand of food
Cold chain includes:
- Precooling facilities: Ex: Produce Coolers
- Refrigerated Storage: Coolers or Freezers
- Refrigerated Transport = Designed to maintain a cool/frozen temperature
- Temperature sensing technologies like Tive
- Information flow

More Episodes