international cold chain
The International Cold Chain
Exporting frozen and refrigerated food products to China
“ I
want
By Sarah B . Hood
to get you on a slow boat to China ” is the opening of an old tune sung by artists from Bing Crosby to Bette Midler . Since China has become a top export destination for Canada , many companies are hoping to start shipping goods there , but it can be difficult to arrange , especially if those products require special shipping conditions .
For instance , a limited number of facilities in Canada are approved for exporting meat and meat products to China , but supply chain solutions company VersaCold Logistics Services recently received approval for seven of its refrigerated warehousing facilities ( in Delta , Abbotsford and Surrey , B . C .; Calgary and Lethbridge , Alta .; Winnipeg , Man .; and Brampton , Ont .) to export to frozen and refrigerated foods to China . The additional seven facilities bring VersaCold ’ s total approved facility count to 10 .
“ VersaCold is Canada ’ s largest supply chain solutions company focused on temperature-sensitive products ; all we handle is frozen or refrigerated food products ,” said VersaCold president and CEO , Doug Harrison .
The company , which also ranks among the top five businesses of its kind in North America , has a warehousing unit with 31 facilities across Canada ; several transportation units running trucking throughout Canada and the U . S .; a fourth-party logistics business that manages products by rail and sea as well as fully outsourced supply chain services ; and a third-party logistics business that provides dedicated solutions to companies . VersaCold ’ s clientele includes numerous major national food producers , retailers and distributors .
In order to become licensed to ship frozen or refrigerated meat to China , the company had to undergo a “ very deep review ” process that took several months at the shortest , and as much as two years for some facilities . Some facilities already held export licenses for many countries around the world , but in order to become licensed for cold-storage shipments to China , they had to first show they could meet a series of requirements set by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency ( CFIA ) under the Meat Inspection Act .
“ There are multiple levels within the CFIA ,” said Harrison . “ Through the Food Safety Enhancement Program ( FSEP ), they have specific requirements that have to be met for the export destination country . We have to meet all the regulatory requirements of Canada and other countries , but in many cases we put in place higher requirements for ourselves . We have an entire group that is headed up by food science individuals that we call our Cold Chain Assurance Group . They oversee food compliance and food safety as well as any processing we do for food products .”
Doug Harrison , the president and CEO of VersaCold
One of the Cold Chain Assurance Group ’ s current projects is to bring all of VersaCold ’ s distribution centres up to the British Retail Council ( BRC ) standard , which “ is a very high level of food safety and food quality , so in addition to these export standards , we are continuing to evolve our standards to above that level ,” said Harrison . “ We tell our team members their role is all about food safety and being able to provide safe food to people in Canada and , for that matter , around the world .”
Over the past two years , VersaCold has worked with the CFIA and other Canadian government officials , as well as representatives of the People ’ s Republic of China through a series of inspections of the company ’ s facilities and processes to ensure they met all the requirements . Ultimately , “ those processes were already in place , so any changes were minor in nature ,” said Harrison .
“ We don ’ t own any of the product that is shipped in to us , but , starting with the producer of the food products , they also have to be licensed , so we can only be involved with export of product from producers that are equally licensed .”
The products destined for China are generally shipped by ocean . (“ In some cases where there ’ s time-sensitivity , they may be shipped by air , but in many cases , we ’ re putting containers on rail , then steamship , and they ’ re disembarked onto truck .”)
For shippers and warehousers , says Harrison , the process begins with the local CFIA inspector , who conducts a
Photos courtesy of VersaCold
SUPPLY CHAIN CANADA • QUARTER 4 2016 • 19