Queensland refrigerated transport logistics specialist, Adam Wade, has launched an independent training and troubleshooting consultancy to help change the culture of the cold chain industry, a major contributor to Australia’s annual food loss and waste bill of $36 billion.
His aim is to help Australian food producers, transporters and retailers to achieve world-class food handling compliance more in line with the high European standards.
Adam’s experience and knowledge comes from a lifetime career in refrigerated logistics for a major Australian food and beverage manufacturer. He has left a successful career in the corporate world to share his knowledge with the broader industry, including manufacturers, transporters, retailers and cold store operators.
His seven-year stint as a volunteer foundation director of the now closed Australian Food Cold Chain Council has exposed him to the unique challenges that face an industry expected to move cold and frozen products over vast distances in often wildly fluctuating weather conditions.
‘The industry operates in a discordant fashion that impacts on food safety and quality, which in turn results in far too much good food ending up in landfill,’ Adam said.
‘There are thousands of businesses of all sizes working largely in isolation to grow, manufacture, transport and sell every food product that needs to be chilled or frozen. The industry is too fragmented, and that leads to breakdowns in consistent food safety and quality,’ he added.
Adam says he plans to foster greater collaboration and accountability across the cold chain industry. ‘There’s too much finger-pointing when goods are declared out of temperature because accountability is very unclear,’ he added.
His new company, Keep It Cool Consulting, enters the market with a range of training and educational programs designed to help companies build a proactive cold chain culture. He will encourage the industry to reach full compliance with HACCP principles.
Adam added, ‘Many dedicated cold chain operators are simply unaware of current or emerging technologies and management processes that could help them reduce waste, increase profits, and enhance customer satisfaction. We aim to bridge this knowledge gap with practical solutions.’