Cold Chain Basics with Andy Bahr

Andy Bahr and Joe Lynch discuss cold chain basics. Andy is the Founder and CEO of Bahr Transportation, a FTL brokerage, focused primarily on serving the food & beverage industry, in the USA & Canada.

About Andy Bahr

Andy Bahr is the Founder and President of Bahr Transportation, a FTL brokerage focused primarily on serving the food & beverage industry, in refrigerated freight. Prior to starting Bahr Transportation, Andy worked at a large brokerage for four years, in Chicago, IL. Andy completed his undergrad at Miami of Ohio, and his masters at Northwestern University in Evanston, IL in 2012. He currently resides in Charlotte, NC with his yellow lab, Charlie. Andy is hungry to deliver value to everyone he meets, has a passion for the logistics profession, and truly looks for win-win partnerships.

About Bahr Transportation

Bahr Transportation is a FTL brokerage, focused primarily on serving the food & beverage industry, in the USA & Canada. While most of their work is in the chilled/frozen space, they do handle dry FTL shipments, as well as dry LTL. Bahr Transportation's cornerstone is service, dependability, and proactive communication. The company holds a strict vetting process for onboarding the right carrier partners, and takes pride in knowing they work with the best professionals in the space. Whether you are a large or small company, east coast or west coast, Bahr Transportation has you covered.

Key Takeaways: Cold Chain Basics

Andy Bahr is the Founder and CEO of Bahr Transportation, a freight brokerage that specializes in refrigerated truckload shipments (reefers).
In the podcast interview, Andy and Joe discuss cold chain basics and the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA).
Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA)
- The FSMA was signed into law Jan. 4, 2011 and is the biggest overall in the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in history.
- Ensures safety and security of the food and feed supply to protect human and animal health.
- Assess and mitigate food safety risk from farm to fork – treat it like chain of custody
- FSMA in a nutshell
  - Written food safety plan
  - Identify potential hazards / risks
  - Implement preventative control to mitigate risks
  - Monitor controls to ensure they are done
  - Training
  - Documentation
- Types of food subject to FSMA
  - Food transported in bulk, where the food touches the walls of the vehicle (Example: juices)
  - Packaged foods not fully enclosed by a container (Example: fresh produce)
  - Food that require temperature control for safety (Example: beef)
Cold Chain Basics
- A cold chain is a temperature-controlled supply chain for perishable food products, pharmaceuticals, and chemicals in order to maintain their quality and increase their shelf-life.
- A cold chain is essential because it:
  - Reduces food loss due to spoilage
  - Enhances food safety and quality
  - Balances and manages the supply and demand of food
- Cold chain includes:
  - Precooling facilities: Ex: Produce Coolers
  - Refrigerated Storage: Coolers or Freezers
  - Refrigerated Transport = Designed to maintain a cool/frozen temperature
  - Temperature sensing technologies like Tive
  - Information flow

Learn More About Cold Chain Basics

Andy Bahr

Bahr Transportation

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