Few industries have been hit by recent disruptions as hard as the food industry. From difficulties in securing product, to challenges keeping this product safe from illness, every aspect of the world of food has been thrown for a loop.

Warehouses are no exception to this. Already facing greater challenges than most warehouses due to the complexities and requirements of food storage and transport, food warehousing has run into greater challenges than ever in our current post-pandemic environment.

If you work in a food warehouse in any capacity, none of this is likely to be news to you. But with all of these challenges, it can be difficult to know what you should focus on, and why, when it comes to managing (or even refining) your warehouse operations.

By keeping a close eye on several factors along the industrial food storage process, you can help your warehouse run more efficiently even in the face of continued delays, shortages, and other issues.

3 Food Warehousing Issues to Be Aware Of

Increased need for safety

Safety is paramount in all steps of the food transportation and storage industry, be it safe handling guidelines, storage requirements, and the like. While maintaining these standards of quality and safety in your warehouse can be a difficult task on the best of days, the ever-changing guidelines and requirements of food storage in a post-COVID landscape don’t make it any easier.

Even as FDA recommendations change over time, there’s always a few ways to future-proof your food storage warehouse by focusing on the aspects you can control. Make sure your warehouse can constantly be kept at the correct temperature for each item, train your employees on proper handling and storage procedures, and make sure all of your food shelving and NSF shelving is up to the task (and replace it if there’s any sign of visible damage). This way, even if the safety standards and recommendations continue to change, your warehouse will be well-prepared to stay ahead of the curve.

Increasing products & decreasing capacity

Even despite the challenges that the food industry has encountered, it seems like the number of overall products and SKUs being stored at our warehouses has yet to decrease – which means your available space will start decreasing, if you’re not careful.

As time and budget allows, make sure your warehouse is fully-stocked with the staffing and storage essentials you need to keep your items safe. Are your freezers up and running, and do they have enough space to handle the next truckload? (The next two truckloads?) Do you have enough wire shelving to safely manage the goods you need to keep for the long- or short-term? Do you need to review your current staffing levels to make sure you have enough hands on all shifts to keep things moving? Asking yourself these questions now will prevent bigger issues from developing over time.

Damage during transportation

Finally, even if the goods inside your warehouse are safe and prepared to be shipped out, there’s still only so much you can do to make sure your goods arrive safely – and when they don’t, you’ll need a plan to deal with it.

It’s said that almost 14% of all created food goes to waste from the time it leaves the farm to the time it reaches the consumers. This can happen due to a number of factors – improper handling along the way, inefficient packaging being used, even something as simple as shocks and vibrations during transport. Work with your inventory providers to make sure that you can get your goods handled and delivered as safely as possible, and make sure to have a plan in place to safely dispose of any damaged goods – that way, if something does need to be removed, it won’t impact your handling time or inventory levels as badly.

And, as always, if you have a food storage warehouse that could be better equipped and optimized to handle these challenges, contact Shelving Inc. with any questions you may have!