A cold chain product is any product that is temperature sensitive. Examples of cold chain products include pharmaceuticals, vaccines, biologics, lab samples, diagnostic materials, chemicals, food, and beverages.
These temperature-sensitive products rely on cold chain management for product efficacy, product safety, and adherence to regulatory requirements.
A failure or disruption in cold chain logistics may result in product spoilage, waste, loss, health risk, and financial implications. Having insight and control over the temperature and product environment is essential to building customer and manufacturer confidence in the cold supply chain.
Cold supply chain integrity is an inclusive process starting with the manufacture of cold chain products and continuing through to packaging, shipping, and delivery to your B2B/B2C customers.
7 Examples of Cold Chain Products
Perishable and temperature-sensitive cold chain products range from ice cream to vaccines.
Cold chain products may spoil, become unsafe, and even dangerous to public health if the correct temperature and environment is not maintained throughout the cold supply chain.
Examples of cold chain products include:
Vaccines including the COVID-19 vaccines from Pfizer and Moderna.
Medical products including blood, biologics, insulin, and other medical devices.
Wine needs cool temperatures to prevent premature aging and flavor loss.
Frozen desserts such as ice cream and gelato must stay frozen to prevent bacterial growth, crystallization, and flavor loss.
Perishable meat, seafood, and poultry is at risk of bacterial growth when not kept below 40 degrees F or frozen at 0 degrees F.
Fresh and frozen fruits and vegetables rely on the cold chain to prevent skin damage, bacterial growth, flavor loss, bruising, and wastage.
Milk, milk alternatives, and dairy products including yogurt, oat milk, soy products, and fermented dairy. To prevent bacterial growth, milk must be processed, packaged, transported, and stored at below 45 degrees F.
These statistics and insights underscore how important cold chain logistics, management, and products are to daily life worldwide.
According to the North America Cold Chain Market: Industry Trends, Share, Size, Growth, Opportunity and Forecast 2021 – 2026 report, market growth can be attributed to changes in dietary habits and in the demand for cold chain healthcare products including biologics, vaccines, biopharmaceuticals, and other medications.
North Americans are choosing healthier foods, stimulating an increased demand for temperature sensitive and perishable cold chain foods and beverages including fruits, vegetables, dairy, meat, poultry, and seafood.
The report suggests the growth in North American medical and pharmaceutical research and clinical trial volume is spiking demand for temperature sensitive medical materials including blood and tissue samples, drugs, and other medical devices.
Did you know? The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that almost 50% of global vaccines are wasted annually. The WHO attributes this in part due to insufficient logistics to support a global cold supply chain. In thinking about the COVID-19 pandemic, this vaccine wastage rate could cost $10 billion due to a spoilage rate of 1 billion vaccines globally.
The Logistics of Cold Chain Products
Efficient cold chain management and logistics processes are critical to maintaining the flow of goods, preventing supply chain breakdowns, meeting marketing and sales goals, and maintaining quality product standards.
The logistics of cold chain products is a finely tuned and intelligent process requiring multiple companies, people, and technologies:
What Happens to Cold Chain Products when the Cold Chain is Broken?
Cold chain products involved in a broken cold chain are at risk of:
This can have deep impacts on public health in the case of ruined vaccines and medications, food insecurity issues due to a lack of access to healthful fruits, vegetables, and proteins, and far-reaching financial, brand, and product impacts for the companies and brands involved.
Make sure you know these risks to the cold supply chain:
A broken cold chain may result in a range of short- and long-term trickle-down impacts including risks to public health, product recalls, damages to your brand and product reputation, litigation, and financial loss.
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