The quick answer
Agree product-specific temperature requirements, cooling before loading, journey logging and receiving checks. Do not apply one temperature to every commodity or use air readings alone to establish product condition.
Start with the commodity and the journey
Fresh and frozen products need different plans, and fresh commodities differ from each other. FAO guidance highlights removal of field heat and maintaining suitable postharvest conditions. Ask about harvest and packing times and product condition before loading, rather than asking only whether a container is cold. The specialist handling the shipment should specify temperature, humidity and ventilation for the variety and expected duration, plus any treatment or segregation requirements. A general website figure is not an operating instruction for a specific consignment.
Assign responsibility at handover points
Write down who cools the product, inspects the vehicle or container, checks stacking and ventilation, and reviews the journey record. Assign an organisation, handover time and retained evidence to each task. Conditions can be managed in transit and then lost during an unloading queue, so review waiting points and warehouse capacity too. If the route or arrival date changes, reassess the plan rather than assume the old agreement still fits. A useful plan can answer a simple operational question: who acts when a delay occurs?
Separate settings from recorded conditions
The refrigeration set point does not establish what the product experienced throughout transport. Agree logger quantity and placement, activation time, file access and how recording gaps are handled. Identify whether readings describe air or product and understand the limitations. A single reading cannot prove or disprove the whole journey without context. Where conditions are disputed, align temperature records with loading, stops, unloading and packaging evidence, then obtain appropriate technical assessment. The purpose is to understand events and determine action rather than select the reading most convenient for one party.
Prepare receiving before the driver arrives
Confirm the arrival window, receiving contact, unloading point, equipment and storage capacity. Prepare the agreed measurement equipment, records and escalation contacts, and keep inspection accessible. If the load arrives early or late, there should be a clear decision about where it waits and under what conditions. Do not leave pallet handling or unloading duration until the consignment is at the gate. Check packaging compatibility with equipment and available space, particularly where carton dimensions differ from a previous order.
Record discrepancies before using the product
Record arrival time, seals, lot references, packaging condition and readings under the inspection plan. Take photographs that show pack identity and context rather than an isolated damaged item with no provenance. Retain transport and inspection records and quarantine disputed goods according to quality procedures. Contact the responsible party with facts and timestamps and follow the contract’s notification window. Afterwards investigate whether the issue arose from an unclear specification, handling, delay or changed lot. Improvement should extend beyond the claim: update the plan that can prevent the same cause in the next shipment.
