Whether foodstuffs, medicines or chemical substances: strict regulations apply to the transport of temperature-sensitive goods. One of these regulations is the obligation to monitor temperature during transport. We take a look at which directives apply to which products, and which solutions retail and logistics companies are currently using to ensure constant monitoring of transport temperatures.

Obligation to monitor the temperature during transport

In summer there is a risk of damage due to extreme heat, in winter it can quickly become too cold in the hold: The weather-independent transport of food and other temperature-sensitive products, their correct storage and packaging is the task of temperature-controlled logistics. Only if the goods remain within their specific temperature range along the entire supply chain is their quality guaranteed.

The two major product groups for which temperature monitoring during transport is particularly important are food and pharmaceuticals. A deviation from the prescribed transport temperature can have catastrophic consequences for the consumer in the case of both pharmaceuticals and foodstuffs. For this reason, retail and logistics companies have a duty to regularly monitor temperatures during transport and quickly identify even the smallest deviations.

This measure is not only intended to protect consumers, but also has practical reasons: If the goods arrive at their destination spoiled or unusable, the shipping company can prove that the fault does not lie with them by providing complete documentation of the measured transport temperatures.

Temperature monitoring in food transport

With a few exceptions, foodstuffs are transported in temperature ranges between +20 and -20 degrees Celsius. The temperature ranges to be maintained in each case are specified either by the legislator (raw goods) or by the manufacturer (processed food). Temperature monitoring during transport is mandatory as soon as the cold chain must be maintained. The Refrigeration in food transport is regulated by a number of legal provisions for the protection of consumers.

In principle, all companies that produce, transport or market food are subject to the internationally valid "Good Manufacturing Practice"( GMP) and "Good Hygiene Practice" (GHP).

The good hygiene practice is the basis for the so-called HACCP concept (HazardAnalysis and Critical Control Points). This is a quality management system for the production and handling of food that provides for hazard analysis and risk control along the entire supply chain.

The concept is based on seven principles, according to which companies can develop their own control system. The implementation of such a system has been mandatory for all companies that have contact with food (production, transport, sale) since 2006 and is laid down in the Regulation (EC) No. 852/2004 on food hygiene.

Legal obligation for temperature monitoring

With regard to the monitoring of temperatures, Regulation (EC) No. 37/2005 and Directive 89/108/EEC are authoritative. The Directive 89/108/EEC on the handling of quick-frozen foodstuffs stipulates that the temperature of quick-frozen foodstuffs must be -18 degrees Celsius or lower along the entire supply chain. The obligation to monitor the temperature during the transport of temperature-sensitive products is laid down in the Regulation (EC) No. 37/2005 of the European Union:

"The means of transport and the storage and warehousing facilities for quick-frozen foodstuffs shall be equipped with suitable recording devices by means of which the air temperature [...] can be monitored at regular intervals."

Temperature monitoring in drug transport

Retail and logistics companies are not only required to check temperatures regularly when transporting food: The transport of medic ines also requires temperature monitoring, as the effectiveness of medicines is highly temperature-dependent, depending on the product. Some medicines can be transported at room temperature without any problems, while others require temperatures between 2 and 8 degrees Celsius (e.g. insulin ampoules). An extreme exception is, for example, certain Corona vaccines, which must be transported at -70 degrees Celsius (so-called ultra-cold transports).

The so-called "Good Distribution Practice of Medicinal Products for Human Use" (Good DistributionPractice) applies to the transport and shipment of medicinal products requiring a cold chain or cold storage.

The GDP states that the supplying wholesaler is "responsible for protecting the drugs
from breakage, deterioration and theft" and must ensure "that temperature conditions are within an acceptable range during transportation." In addition, the directive requires wholesalers to,

• use appropriate procedures to identify deviations from temperature specifications , ideally in real time, and initiate countermeasures.
• inform the recipient of the medicinal products of any deviations.
• carry out a risk assessment of the transport routes in advance to determine where temperature controls are particularly important.
• have the systems for temperature monitoring during transport serviced and (re) calibrated at least once a year.

Temperature monitoring systems

Today, smart systems, so-called telematics systems, are predominantly used for temperature monitoring during the transport of temperature-sensitive products. These usually consist of a sensor that records the temperature, telematics for transmitting the data, and a software platform for processing and storage. Although there are many different solutions in the field of smart temperature monitoring, most systems offer the following functions:

• Measurement and recording of temperature and humidity data even in vans with different cooling zones.
• Transmission of the measured data wirelessly and in real time.
• Creation of automated reports per trip/delivery.
• Complete documentation so that compliance with the temperature specifications can be traced at a later date (e.g. in the event of damage).
• Alerting the driver in case of deviations from the specified values.

How smart are these systems really?

The question is not really how good the systems are, but where and how they are used. Telematics systems that are permanently integrated into refrigerated containers or trailers with refrigeration units and connected to the on-board computer usually work very precisely. Many systems can also be connected to the sensors and temperature probes that are integrated as standard in actively refrigerated vehicles: In this case, the telematics directly accesses the measurement data of the installed cooling technology and transmits it to the software.

In vehicles with permanently integrated power-operated refrigeration technology that actively cools the cargo space, the smart systems for temperature monitoring during transport therefore work very well. However, the solutions for passively cooled food transport, which functions without power-operated cooling technology, currently leave much to be desired.

Temperature monitoring in passive transport

At passively refrigerated transport (also called passive cold chain ) of food and medicines, the temperature is maintained by the use of insulating packaging and/or dry ice is kept within the prescribed range. Passively refrigerated transports are usually carried out with insulated but non-refrigerated vehicles.

Systems for temperature monitoring in the passive cold chain are often battery-powered and the sensors are attached to the cooler. The data is usually transmitted via Bluetooth and can be controlled with the help of an app. What sounds good in theory, however, falls short in practice: Since the legislator recommends temperature monitoring in passively refrigerated transport, but does not prescribe it, there is a lack of guidelines and precise instructions on where and how to attach the sensors for reliable temperature control.

The result is that data trackers from different manufacturers are combined with thermoboxes from other manufacturers. The incompatibility of the systems means that the data loses validity and precise interpretation is often not possible. In addition, a suitable solution for an automated readout of the data is still missing today.

The lack of reliable solutions is also a problem from an environmental point of view because it makes passive cooling unattractive for many retail and logistics companies. Yet passive cooling solutions offer enormous savings potential because they finally make the most expensive section in temperature-controlled logistics, the so-called "last mile", sustainable. More information about the sustainable and cost-efficient last mile you can find here.

Reliable temperature monitoring with temprify

temprify is an expert in passive cooling of temperature-controlled goods and the infrastructure behind it. Because reliable temperature monitoring is part of our value proposition, our data loggers are specific for use in temprify cold storage and freezer boxes have been developed: The temperature data loggers are easy to integrate into the boxes and temprify provides the necessary infrastructure to transfer the temperature data to the cloud.

To the one-stop store for sustainable, cost-effective cooling solutions!