For any kind of global food storage and distribution, a break in the supply chain can create various issues, causing anything as minor as the loss of a few dollars for companies involved to something as major as the outbreak of a foodborne illness. Indeed, supply chain disruptions pose a threat to food safety and quality. For frozen, refrigerated, and dry stored goods, a supply chain failure will almost always compromise stable conditions and food quality. Because of the major risk a break in the cold storage and distribution supply chain can create, trusted providers in the food industry make it their goal to prevent or predict these troublesome issues. At Minnesota Freezer Warehouse Company (MFWC), we are committed to upholding high standards for food safety in Austin, MN, and worldwide with our climate-controlled storage services.
When it comes to the causes of disruptions in the supply chain happen, there are typically four main culprits:
- Natural disasters such as earthquakes, tornadoes, or even severe thunderstorms can force a pause in the supply chain. These natural conditions can compromise warehouse storage facilities, damage goods in transit, or cause a halt of shipments.
- Biological disasters like epidemics, foodborne illness outbreaks, or other illnesses can create a serious disruption in a supply chain. We all witnessed this with the 2020 coronavirus pandemic causing disparities in the supply chain for products like toilet paper, sanitary products, and even foods with long shelf lives such as beans and rice.
- Technological errors like shipwrecks, equipment damage, train crashes, and user error can also create supply chain breaks. While often accidental, some technology issues can come from harmful intent like data leaking and malicious internet server crashes.
- Political climates of conflict and hostility are often one of the most long-lasting and insidious causes of supply chain disruption. Common scenarios for severe food chain supply breaks include warfare, contentious trade agreements, onerous tariffs, and economic crises. We are seeing some of these issues today with various raw materials and original equipment manufacturer (OEM) components manufactured in China and exported to the United States.
Whatever the cause of a supply chain disruption, the breakdown will almost always damage food safety protocol and lower the quality of products. MFWC implements many protections against food supply chain interruptions, including powerful generators through our partnership with Agility Recovery; highly detailed barcode inventory systems and electronic data interchange (EDI) management; cold chain logistics partners for rail, freight, and ground shipments; and export services to all countries approved by the food safety and inspection service (FSIS).
While there are some causes of supply chain disruption that can’t always be predicted, our goal is to always account for interruptions we can expect, navigate through distribution and storage laws, work under political conditions successfully, maintain all our equipment at peak capacity, and overall prevent any negative effects on food safety throughout the supply chain.
To learn more about our cold storage capabilities and how we promote food safety in Austin, MN, with our global services, contact MFWC by calling Randy Skophammer (507) 373-1477 or emailing rskophammer@mfwc-cold.com.