With the rapid growth of the food supply chain, customers tend to expect fresh and delicious food on their plates. Demand is definitely on rising, which helped the food industry to expand geographically. So, starting from producers, distributors, manufacturers, to the logistic provides- everyone is under pressure to get their food to market safely and without losing the food grade. Well, that’s a major challenge that food industries face. Along with that, there are several different types of logistic issues that you have to face daily if you get into this business. We have jotted down the major issues here. Have a look.
Lack of traceability
The ability to track the product through all stages is known as traceability. These days, traceability is in high demand from the consumer’s side. Customers want to have every bit of detail regarding the food, i.e., from where the food ingredients come, which places it crosses through, etc. So, you need to track down all data of every step of your supply chain. Knowing and sharing authentic information from all steps of the food chain makes your brand stronger and builds customer loyalty.
On the other hand, if you lack to provide the correct information, it’s going to expose the blind spots of your business and may result in uninvited risks. Finally, your sales and profits can get crashed.
Unable to supply and maintain the quality and safety of the food
Since the whole food industry is rushing towards meeting consumer’s expectations, and building a massive customer base, delivering high-quality food has become a challenge to many. Some of the major causes that affect the safety and quality of the food are-
Lack of storage and inability in warehousing practices
- Transportation delays
- Unpredictable weather
- Industrial sabotage
These issues are the leading cause of the rise of the food product recall cases. For your information, product recall consumes a lot of energy and time, in short, resources followed by disputing your brand image.
The communication gap between both parties
As you are not alone in this and have to put teamwork to make your brand’s name, communication is the key here. So there is no place for fragmented information or lack of communication in you and your picked food grade tanker trucking company. If you think there is someone in your squad who has little or no knowledge of other’s actions, just sort out that then and there, else it may leave a huge impact on your business. Especially when you are operating globally, the communication gap can trigger misunderstanding within the team, and your customers may suffer.
Raising the supply chain cost
When you are running a food supply chain, several things come hand in hand to increase your investment. Relatively if you increase the price of products, you may lose quite a big part of your customer base. So keeping the investment and profits balanced, you have to try different strategies. There are certain things responsible for raising the bar like fuel and energy costs, manpower, freight and logistics, cost of the latest technology, maintenance, container price. We know it’s a challenge. Still, you have to keep an eye on the operating costs to keep growing.
The inability of controlling and tracking inventory in the warehouse and stores
One of the major problem areas is inventory. If you want to control costs while maintaining the quality and satisfy your consumers, you must manage the inventory carefully. Any wrong step can waste all these years of effort. So don’t do too much of it or too less of it. Just keep your customers happy and keep inventory and waste low.
Refrigerated shipping
Different food items require temperature-controlled transportation. The requirement of fresh and low processed products has become more of a demand now rather than a request. Surprisingly, there is a little bit of improvement in supply compared to the demand, because of the ownership of higher cost and lack of regulatory environment. All these indicate to noticeably tighter capacity and higher prices in comparison to the traditional truckload. Along with that, the availability of refrigerated vehicles is also a concern.
Keeping safe from contamination
Resisting from product contamination is much of a challenge rather than concern. Why? Well, when you truckload the food, you must clear all the debris and odors beforehand. The presence of the contaminate can permanently damage the food, and that will be a huge loss for you, either you will lose your customers, or you won’t make profits as per your expectations. So keeping your product safe should come at the forefront of your food chain business.
Only a good transportation partner can help you to get rid of these common issues. So you must choose one of the best food grade tanker trucking companies. Put yourself in your customer’s shoes and do whatever is necessary to make them gain faith in you. Only then you can make good profits.
