Cold Chain: Why It’s Important for Shipping Food and Pharmaceuticals
When we talk about international shipping, the focus is often on delivery speed or cost. However, some products require something far more critical — temperature control. For these items, a special system known as the cold chain is used.
This system is essential for pharmaceuticals, biological samples, certain food products (meat, fish, dairy, frozen foods), and other temperature-sensitive goods. If your business imports such products, ensuring a properly managed cold chain should be a top priority.
What Is a Cold Chain?
A cold chain is a specially organized logistics process that keeps cargo at a constant, pre-defined low temperature during transportation. It includes:
• 🧊 Temperature-controlled storage
• 🚛 Refrigerated trucks
• 📦 Thermal-insulated packaging
• 📲 Real-time temperature monitoring and tracking
Unlike standard shipping, both delivery timelines and environmental conditions are strictly maintained.
Which Products Require a Cold Chain?
It is typically used for:
• Medicines, vaccines, insulin, and biological materials
• Dairy products, fish, meat, nutritional supplements
• Chemicals and laboratory materials
Even minimal temperature fluctuations can result in quality loss, safety concerns, or health hazards.
What Transport Routes Use Cold Chain?
Logistics companies use cold chain most often for:
• ✈️ Air freight — to ensure fast delivery
• 🚚 Road freight (from Europe and Asia) — for frozen cargo transported overland
• 🚢 Sea freight — for bulk shipments, especially from Asia or the Middle East
In all cases, specialized packaging, thermal containers, and standardized supply chain processes are used.
How Is the Temperature Controlled?
Modern technology allows not only location tracking but also real-time temperature monitoring. Both the sender and the recipient have access to this data. If the temperature moves outside the set range, the logistics company or the customer is immediately alerted.
Why Choose a Specialized Logistics Company?
You can’t trust frozen cargo to just any carrier. Experienced logistics providers like CLT can ensure:
✅ Full temperature control
✅ Additional cargo insurance
✅ Customs clearance, packaging, and compliance with laboratory requirements
Without a cold chain, such cargo simply won’t reach its destination safely.
The cold chain is not just a technical requirement — it’s a guarantee of your business’s reliability. Whether you’re importing food or pharmaceuticals, work only with a logistics company experienced in transporting temperature-sensitive goods.
CLT offers complete cold chain solutions for the most complex shipments. With us, your cargo is safe.
