Food products are sensitive materials which require proper care and handling during their entire supply chain process. The complexities of legislation and regulatory compliance make their handling even more difficult and confusing. Fortunately, many top warehousing companies in India offer food-grade warehousing facilities that can help you to ease these logistical hurdles. However, it would help if you were quite confident about your chosen facility. Read on to know what features and qualities you should look for when selecting food–a grade warehouse.

Sanitation

A high level of sanitation and hygiene is a priority when handling and caring for food products. Hence, the warehouse facility you choose should have an established sanitation schedule and disinfection measures. Ensure that there are enough sinks for washing hands. Also, the personnel employed should have good personal hygiene and receive regular food-handling training.

FDA registration

The top warehousing companies in India will comply with  FDA food warehousing requirements and local food and safety inspections. If the facility does not meet these requirements or is incompliant, it could spoil your temperature-sensitive goods. You may also check for other certifications that may be required in the locality, like those that involve food quality and food safety throughout the supply chain, inspection ratings, and voluntary inspections to rate the safety and cleanliness of the facility.

Overall condition of the  facility

Ideal food storage warehouse facilities should be well maintained, clean and devoid of any conditions that could cause health problems like rodents, insects, fungus,  bacteria, dirt and grime to flourish. The whole area must be well-kept to prevent any contamination of the food products. The facility should be well maintained as cleanliness is imperative for effective food storage so that the quality of the food products is not compromised.

Company track record

You can request your provider to review their case studies to learn more about their facilities. Please do your research and take a look at their track record. Google can help you find any negative reports about their facility and give you a better perspective about what to expect. Also, pay attention to how they respond to your queries, and if you are not satisfied with it, you may move on to the next one.    

Pest control plan

Food products increase the risk of attracting pests and rodents, which can contaminate food. So make sure the warehouse building does not have holes or cracks that could be potential routes for unwanted creatures to enter. Also, the property around the building should be well maintained so that the pests are kept out. It would be even better if the property had regular and proactive pest control throughout the facility, using chemicals, traps, and periodic inspections.

Are your products dry, frozen or refrigerated?

If the food products to be stored are dry and do not require refrigeration, like rice or grain, look for a facility that can provide a dry and clean environment for storage. But if the products are perishable, such as medical vaccines, seafood, fruits and vegetables, the warehouse needs to have freezing and refrigeration capabilities. An ideal frozen facility will maintain a constant temperature, whereas refrigerated facilities will be specially built to accommodate food products that require a certain temperature for storage. It is a great way to store your temperature-sensitive products in a  safe condition.

• For dry storage, these products include canned foods, sauces or packaged snacks. So the warehouse should provide temperature control for extreme changes like preventing the products from melting or freezing. The facility should also keep out any humidity in order to avoid any damage or spoilage of the food products.

• For frozen food storage: these warehouses should be designed to handle foods that require freezing, i.e., they should maintain a constant freezing temperature. Such products usually need to keep a longer shelf life, but if it thaws, the rate of spoiling will be much faster. Hence, the warehouse should be able to maintain a freezing temperature point.

• For refrigerated food storage: some food products need not be frozen but will maintain a longer shelf life if stored at cooler temperatures. A good refrigerated warehouse will provide cold storage options for food, beverages and other products that need refrigeration at a certain temperature.

Bottom Line

Though selecting a food-grade warehouse may be challenging, a reliable warehouse provider will easily understand your storage requirements and offer you storage options accordingly. However, the storage requirements may depend on the type of product you deal with, but safe and secure storage is the priority in order to ensure that the products are fresh, clean and ready to consume. Look for a warehousing company that comes in the top ten list and is known for providing high-quality solutions to keep the products safe. Make sure that they understand and handle your temperature-sensitive needs.