cold and freezer storage
Location: Cooling area
Refrigerated and deep-freeze warehouses are rooms in which perishable goods are temporarily stored or permanently stored. They are a central element of the logistics chain and play an important role between the production and trade links.
Table of contents
Legal basis for food storage
There are currently 700 food regulations in Germany - determined by laws and legal regulations of the federal government, states and the European Union. The following regulations are fundamental for the food sector:
- EC No. 852/2004 (food hygiene)
- EC No. 853/2004 (hygiene rules for food of animal origin)
- Federal Food Hygiene Ordinance (LMHV)
The deep-freeze sector is regulated by its own standards. For example, Regulation EC No. 37/2005 on monitoring the temperatures of deep-frozen foodstuffs in means of transport and in storage and warehousing facilities regulates the specific implementation of temperature controls. Basic requirements for handling deep-frozen goods are laid down in Directive 89/108/EEC.
Types of cold and freezer storage facilities
Food is stored in various warehouses, each with different temperatures. There are:
- frozen food (TiKo or TK storage)
- Dairy products (MoPro storage or fresh storage)
- Fruit & Vegetables (Fresh Storage)
- Meat, chocolate and dry goods (TroSo warehouse)
frozen food warehouse
The most important rule when working with cold storage is: The cold chain must not be interrupted! They are characterized by the following temperature range:
- Temperature: -20 to -24°C
- Shock freezer ranges -35°C
Manual work should be reduced, as the strain on employees is very high at these temperatures. Forklifts require a cabin and heating. The equipment must also be adapted to sub-zero temperatures, especially grease, component seals or lubricants, as well as electronics. Galvanized steel pallet trucks are suitable for the deep-freeze sector due to their materials. They are rust-proof and corrosion-resistant, easy to clean and also designed for applications with hygienic requirements.
Attention: Wet mopping is not permitted in deep-freeze warehouses. Cleaning work must be carried out with a broom! This should be taken into account during planning and avoided by using an appropriate pallet flow rack , possibly one that can be folded up.
warehouse for dairy products, fruit and vegetables
- Temperature: 2 to 8°C
- Possibly increased humidity
The top priority in a cold storage facility is cleanliness. On the one hand, the goods are often perishable, and on the other, they are covered in dirt - soil on vegetables and fruit, for example. The warehouse and its materials must therefore be easy to clean. The conveyors used must also meet these requirements. There are pallet trucks for the food industry that can be used optimally thanks to their material and properties. They are easy to clean, hygienic, corrosion-resistant and rust-free. For example, weighing pallet trucks made of stainless steel are suitable for transporting goods in the deep-freeze warehouse and for weighing when receiving the goods. Lift table trucks made of stainless steel are also reliable helpers in this special area of application.
warehouse for food of animal origin
- Freezer rooms: minimum -18 °C
- Temperature of the refrigerator: -1 to +2°C
- Temperature defrosting range: < 10 °C (2-15 °C with air flow)
- Fresh meat (except poultry): 7°C
- Poultry products: 4°C
- Slaughter by-products: 3°C
- Meat preparations (EU): 4°C
The requirements for handling meat are laid down in the EU hygiene regulations (2006). According to these, only foods that comply with the HACCP guidelines may be traded in the Union. Companies need a license for this, unless they are companies that only cut up the meat or sell it directly on site, such as retailers. There are various requirements for storage.
- Premises where food is handled must be clean and well maintained at all times.
- Premises in which food is handled must be designed, constructed, located and dimensioned in such a way that:
- appropriate maintenance, cleaning and/or disinfection is possible, airborne contamination is avoided or kept to a minimum and sufficient work surfaces are available to enable hygienically sound work processes,
- the accumulation of dirt, contact with toxic substances, the penetration of foreign particles into food, the formation of condensation or unwanted mold growth on surfaces is avoided
- good food hygiene, including protection against contamination and in particular pest control, is ensured and
- where necessary, suitable processing and storage rooms are available, in particular providing temperature control and sufficient capacity to keep the food at an appropriate temperature and to enable monitoring and, where necessary, recording of the storage temperature.
The Guide for the processing of meat and meat products (2) further provides that: ‘Surfaces (including surfaces of equipment) in areas where food is handled, and in particular surfaces in contact with food, must be kept in a sound condition and must be easy to clean and, where necessary, disinfect. They must therefore be made of smooth, abrasion-resistant, corrosion-resistant and non-toxic materials, unless food business operators can demonstrate to the competent authority that other materials used are suitable.’
Furthermore, "plausible and traceable warehouse management must be in place, which makes it possible to quickly and clearly identify when goods have been stored. Each product or packaging unit must be clearly identified. The first in/first out principle (FiFo) must be followed. The storage conditions must not have a negative influence on the product quality (packaged/unpackaged)."
