Food quality and safety risk diagnosis in the food cold chain through failure mode and effect analysis

Abstract

Improper handling in the food cold chain may compromise food safety and degrade quality, which can result in economic losses and negative effects on food availability. This study evaluated risk in food cold chains using a failure mode and effect analysis (FMEA) approach and developing improvement strategies. The research comprised two stages: The first stage used surveys to evaluate risk associated with cold chain logistics, and the second used case studies to evaluate improvement strategies. We mailed 566 questionnaires to chilled or frozen food companies including processors, wholesalers, and logistics service providers in Taiwan; the response rate was 9.4%. Receiving, storage, dispatch, and delivery were the four major steps for food quality and safety risk diagnosis in food cold chains. Survey results demonstrated that among the top five food quality and safety risks, the product receiving stage involved three risks, namely long cargo handling time, temperature abuse, and product damage; the dispatch step involved risks of temperature abuse; and delivery involved risks from poor driving conditions. The case study suggested that food quality and safety risks of the cold chain system could be effectively reduced after adoption of improvement plans. These findings demonstrate that the FMEA approach could be used as a preventive tool to diagnose the food quality and safety risks in food cold chain and that risks can be reduced through effective control strategies.