Ever wonder how foods that easily spoil, like fruits, vegetables and dairy products, can reach you almost farm fresh from the opposite side of the globe? The simple answer is they are delivered in refrigerated shipping containers, which are also called reefer containers.
Whether you choose to hire or purchase a refrigerated container, utilising one is a quick, affordable and convenient way to expand your cold storage capacity, as and when you need to.
Let’s walk through some of the main uses for these cold store units and look at the benefits they bring to the table.
Uses of refrigerated containers:
Permanent cold storage for foodstuffs & temperature-sensitive goods
The most common use of reefer containers today is for the transportation of fruits and vegetables. These items react with the surrounding atmosphere and can release moisture and gases, which, if not ventilated and preserved by a refrigeration unit, cause gas and moisture to gather inside the packaging, causing them to over-ripen and spoil.
Meat and poultry are the second-largest food items transported in cold storage units around the world. According to a BBC article earlier this year, “global meat consumption has increased rapidly over the past 50 years. Meat production today is nearly five times higher than in the early 1960s - from 70 million tonnes to more than 330 million tonnes in 2017.”
The main reason for this is the large increase in population, which has more than doubled in the given timeframe. Another reason is the increase in income, which means more people can afford to eat meat.
Another major food transported in refrigerated containers is seafood. As you all know, fish and seafood products spoil easily. Exceptional quality and freshness can only be delivered to restaurants and markets if the foods have been stored in optimal conditions. Hence, around a fifth of food items being shipped using reefer containers are seafood products.
Many people think refrigerated containers are only used for food items, but they are much more versatile than that!
An example is wine. Wines travel in highly specialised cold units to avoid them reacting with the surrounding atmosphere and avoid temperature changes.
Cold storage for retail purposes
Medicines and pharmaceutical products are also shipped in containers world-wide. This is possible thanks to the development of suitable refrigeration and ventilation technologies. As a result, the bulk transportation of medicines drives costs of distribution down.
Flowers? Bouquets? Yes. This billion-pound industry uses flowers from all over the world. Considered a perishable product, the flowers you ordered from the florist or picked up from the supermarket would have most likely travelled in a reefer container from abroad. The latest of these containers are specialised for flower transport – stopping bacteria, mould and fungi from growing and damaging the product.
Temporary cold storage for events and functions
Think of one hot summer around the world without some kind of festival, concert or event taking place. Exactly!
Catering companies who go on to serve the hungry festival-goers have a huge responsibility to ensure that the food is fresh and safe to consume. These companies may not require cold storage units for the entire year; so what’s the solution? Portable cold storage units.
The fact that a reefer container is mobile and can be easily taken from one location to another makes it the go-to solution for caterers looking for reliable and cost-efficient cold storage.
Post-harvest cold storage for farmers
Fresh produce such as fruits and vegetables need to be transported and put into a cold storage unit after harvesting. To maximise quality and shelf-life, optimal temperature and relative humidity are required to prevent respiration and decay of produce.
Therefore, refrigerated containers are crucial for farmers’ cold storage solutions from the point of harvest until reaching the end consumer.
Seasonal storage, to boost existing cold storage capacity
Depending on what your company does, you would have experienced seasonal trends at some point. Business can be higher or lower at certain times of the year, and a permanent cold storage unit may not be required.
If that’s the case, portable refrigerated containers can be hired/leased for the busy seasons. Once your term is up, the containers are removed from your site until the next busy season.
Many companies prefer seasonal storage compared to permanent storage as it is more efficient in terms of costs and logistics.
To sum up, refrigerated containersallow for the storage and transportation of temperature and humidity-sensitive produce such as fruits, meat, fish and flowers in optimum conditions. This crowns reefer containers as the perfect choice for events such as sports tournaments, music festivals, farmers’ markets and food, beer and wine fairs.
Here are the main benefits:
- Weather-proof - so can be placed outdoors
- Reliable
- Secure - and can be fitted with advanced alarm systems
- Mobile - are portable to anywhere you need
- Low-cost - in terms of leasing and running costs
- Easy maintenance - just follow best practices
- Customisable - our units come with many features to choose from
For more information about our range of cold storage solutions, get in touch and one of our helpful staff will be able to highlight the best solution for your requirement.
