How to Ship Perishable Goods - A Guide to Reefer Cargo

Disclaimer: Please note that this guide is kept very general. There might be cases where these information do not apply. In case of shipping perishable goods, always make sure that you have the latest regulations and information or reach out to your customer service or sales representative for support.

What Are Perishable Goods? 

Let’s start with the basics: What even counts as a perishable good? Simply put are perishable goods items that have a limited shelf life and require specific conditions to maintain quality and safety. Some examples for these types of goods are:  

• Fresh Produce: Fruits, vegetables, and herbs that require humidity and temperature control. 
• Dairy Products: Milk, cheese, and yogurt that must be kept at cool temperatures. 
• Meat and Seafood: Highly sensitive to temperature fluctuations and require strict cold chain management. 
• Pharmaceuticals and Vaccines: Often require ultra-low temperatures to remain effective. 
• Flowers and Plants: Require controlled humidity and temperature to stay fresh during transit. 

We also differentiate between goods that need to be kept at different temperatures, hence it is very common to have the categories Chilled Cargo, Frozen Cargo and Other Cargo. 

Chilled Cargo

Fruits and Vegetables count as chilled cargo, just as chilled meats, fish, poultry, dairy products, confectionery, nuts and cocoa beans, and dried fruits. But also live plants, cut flowers, flower bulbs, foliage and ferns need certain temperature control and proper ventilation.

Frozen Cargo

All goods, that - surprise - need to be frozen are classified as frozen cargo. Some examples are: Meat, seafood and poultry, ice cream, frozen yogurt and other dairy products. But also blood plasma needs to be shipped as frozen cargo to keep well and usable.

Other Cargo

Wines and spirits, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, non-hazardous chemicals, biological substances such as enzymes 

All of these require a certain care and stable temperature and humidity levels to maintain product quality. You can book our reefer tracking solution Hapag-Lloyd LIVE and choose between two tailored options according to your needs. 

How to ship perishable cargo – Step by step 

Now that you know what classifies as perishable goods, let’s take a look at how to properly ship them and what to keep in mind. 

Shipping sensitive cargo involves multiple steps, from selecting the right equipment to maintaining optimal conditions. Here’s how businesses can ensure smooth and efficient transportation: 

First things first - Choosing the right equipment 

We’ve already established that there are different types of perishable goods and not all of them need freezing temperatures. That being said, when booking reefer transport with us you will be guided through it by our experts. Albeit here’s some rule of thumbs to keep in mind when choosing the equipment. 

• Reefer or NOR: While technically all reefers are capable of offering the needed temperature settings, they are not always operating. There's also a difference between food-grade and non-food-grade reefers which is why selecting the correct commodity is important. 

• The right packaging: While the reefer container keeps things stable, the right packaging will also make a difference: Insulated boxes and gel packs help protect goods during short-haul transport. Keep in mind that the packaging depends on the product and the main purpose is to keep the product in good shape. 
• The cargo itself: apart from choosing the best container and packaging options, also make sure that your cargo is well prepared. Precooling the cargo will certainly help as well as treating the cargo with chemicals to prevent infections or using fumigation to control diseases. 

Maintaining proper temperature and humidity

The proper temperature will be individually set up for each shipment but nonetheless it’s helpful to have an overview of appropriate temperatures for different cargo types and the respective recommendations for humidity and ventilation. 

• Temperature ranges: 
  • Fresh fruits and vegetables: 0°C to 13°C (32°F to 55°F) 
  • Dairy products: 0°C to 4°C (32°F to 39°F) 
  • Meat and seafood: -1°C to 4°C (30°F to 39°F) 
  • Frozen goods: -18°C (-0.4°F) or lower 
• Humidity Control: Prevents dehydration of produce and other sensitive goods. 
• Ventilation: Essential for goods like bananas and avocados that release ethylene gas to prevent them from becoming overly ripe. 

How digital solutions help shipping reefer cargo

While it may have been a struggle to keep an eye on all parameters to keep your sensitive cargo fresh, at the perfect degree of ripeness, and of course in a stable state in case of pharma or medical cargo, today's technologies make all of this possible without all the hassle. Take our real-time monitoring solution Hapag-Lloyd LIVE, for example. Thanks to modern sensor technology it not only sends the real-time location data to your systems but also enables you to keep track of different key parameters to keep your cargo at its best level. The solution is available in two different tailored options to cater to your needs (or rather: your cargo's needs) perfectly.

In case a little bit of ExtraFreshness is needed: We've also got you in that case. And pardon the pun, you'll see why in a second. With our Controlled Atmosphere solution you can choose between different technologies to ship your perishable goods such as avocados, blueberries and more and keep them in perfect condition until they are in the shelf. Choose between different technologies such as ExtraFresh and ExtraFresh Plus to keep cool.

And the best thing is: You can directly add Hapag-Lloyd LIVE and Controlled Atmosphere to your shipments during the Quotation stage already. 

Conclusion

The successful transportation of perishable goods depends on choosing the right equipment, maintaining optimal conditions, and leveraging modern technology for the correct monitoring of your cargo. By keeping the right temperatures and humidity levels for each cargo type in mind you can ship sensitive goods without losing their quality. Our reefer cargo solutions can help you to achieve freshness and on-time delivery.