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Australia through the years

Chilly change to meat trade

02 Jul 2008

Australasian ports have had to buy-in to the demands of cold chain monitoring, as the international meat trades have grown more sophisticated over the last 50 years.

Port Strategy: Australian ports have stepped up to the chill challenge with reefer plugs on dock
Australian ports have stepped up to the chill challenge with reefer plugs on dock. Photo courtesy of OOCL.

Aspects such as packaging, handling and temperature control are hugely important to a sensitive product such as chilled meat that must remain within a narrow tolerance range from the plant chiller to the display cabinet. Product that arrives in less-than-pristine condition has no retail future.

In New Zealand, some ports and transportation providers have gone so far as to become affiliate members of the NZ Meat Industry Association in order to further their collaborations within the meat sector.

Ports now have banks of reefer plugs and monitoring systems, so the cold chain can operate effectively right through to the cargo being loaded on the ship.

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Australian ports have stepped up to the chill challenge with reefer plugs on dock. Photo courtesy of OOCL.

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