From A to B, Safely: How Transportation Shapes Food Safety Outcomes

The global food logistics market is projected to grow at 8.3% CAGR, reaching $260.56 billion by 2032. The Global Cold Chain Alliance (GCCA) reports that in 2025, its largest North American members expanded cold storage capacity to 5 billion cubic feet, a 14% increase. European and Latin American members reported a growth of 22% and 31%, respectively.

As demand continues to rise, so does exposure to food safety risks during storage and distribution. Increased volumes and complexity introduce more opportunities for contamination or spoilage.

“Hazard control doesn’t stop at processing. You need the same level of vigilance during storage and distribution—at every point of transfer. Certification standards today reflect that, because what happens in this stage can be just as important as what happens during processing when it comes to keeping food safe,” says Suzanne Barkley, Senior Director of Food Production, NSF.

The impact of well-managed storage and distribution is especially clear in three areas:

Food safety failures during storage and transport can result in recalls or public health alerts, though these are less frequent than those at the production level. Even when contaminations are caught early, they often lead to unnecessary spoilage and disposal.

The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) estimated that 13% of food is lost after harvest and before reaching retail, a stage that includes storage and distribution. Preventing this loss depends not just on temperature monitoring, but also on building systems that detect problems early and reduce handling errors.

When transportation runs smoothly, products move through the supply chain without unnecessary delays. This benefits every stage of distribution: retailers can maintain optimal inventory levels without overstocking or relying on safety buffers, while manufacturers can avoid storage bottlenecks and reduce the need to ramp up production to compensate for spoilage.

“Every time we prevent a temperature breach or cross-contamination during transit, we're also preventing food loss and reducing carbon footprints,” says Barkley. “The most successful companies in this space integrate food safety, sustainability, and operational excellence.”

To mitigate the two main risks—temperature deviations and cross-contamination—storage and distribution operations should adopt the following best practices:

Temperature control: prevention and detection

• Use high-quality insulated containers to maintain proper temperatures throughout transit.
• Plan efficient delivery routes with the help of specialized software to reduce time in transit and limit environmental exposure.
• Ensure regular maintenance of trucks and refrigeration units to prevent breakdowns.
• Install real-time monitoring systems, such as data loggers or wireless sensors, to track and record temperature fluctuations continuously.
• Conduct manual checks at key points during transport, especially during longer routes.
• Maintain detailed records of temperature monitoring to support compliance and enable swift investigations if issues arise.
• Minimize temperature exposure during loading and unloading by training staff to avoid unnecessary delays.

Cross-contamination prevention

• Apply validated cleaning protocols—especially in bulk transport—to ensure tankers, silos, pipes, and containers are free of product residues or cleaning agents.
• Inspect packaging integrity upon receipt and protect it during handling and transport to avoid spills or tears.
• Follow strict storage procedures to separate allergens from non-allergens (e.g., never stacking allergens above non-allergens).
• Establish traceability systems to quickly identify and isolate contamination sources.
• Include defense measures against intentional adulteration or tampering, particularly in long-distance or multi-stop journeys.

Even with advanced monitoring tools, human oversight remains essential. Staff involved in transport and warehousing need to understand the risks and act quickly when problems arise.

“Companies now use sophisticated monitoring systems like data loggers and wireless sensors, but the human element is still very important,” says Raquel Cadena, Global Senior Technical Manager, NSF. “Everyone, from drivers to warehouse staff, needs to be aware of what role they play in maintaining safety. If somebody doesn't report when something goes wrong, you can have a single temperature excursion that affects everything—all the careful handling that came before doesn't matter anymore.”

Such a level of awareness can only be achieved with a strong food safety culture. As Raquel notes, the example set by management is crucial to create one: “You cannot have a successful food safety program without commitment from the top. If managers only show up at the opening meeting and delegate everything to the Quality Manager, that’s usually a telltale sign that food safety is not a priority. But whenever we see them getting involved throughout the audit process, it probably means they take food safety seriously.”

A great help in creating a stronger food safety culture comes from certifications. They push organizations to build a structured framework that looks not only at SOPs, but at every activity that can affect product safety, including attitudes and values behind daily operations. Certification requires ongoing improvement and a mindset that resists complacency. That steady pressure helps reinforce food safety at every level, from leadership to the front line.

"The organizations that truly get it,” says Barkley, “are the ones where certification becomes a catalyst for asking better questions: 'What could we be missing?' 'How do we make sure this improvement sticks?' That extra mile from meeting requirements to continuously raising the bar is what separates companies that just move food from those that genuinely protect it."