Prechilling: Best Practice or Optional Protocol? What the Experts Say
Is prechilling refrigerated trailers before dispatch a non-negotiable? According to global food safety professionals and the latest 2024 GCCA Cold Chain Transportation Best Practices Guide, the answer is a firm yes. While not a legal requirement, operating outside this standard invites greater scrutiny—learn why best practice still rules the road.
There has arisen the question, whether ‘refrigerated trailers to be at a set prechilled/frozen temperature at time of arriving on dock for dispatch’.
Whenever this question is put to food safety professionals the answer is almost invariably that prechilling should take place.
Indeed the GCCA Cold Chain Transportation Best Practices Guide revised and updated in 2024 strongly recommends it.
There is the science on
(a) the necessity of doing it for product temperature integrity reasons and
(b) the best approach from an energy efficiency perspective is not definitive and ripe for further study.
It’s one of those issues that emerges occasionally; food safety people tend to take a stand and most revert to the more risk averse, best practice.
If companies were to operate under a different protocol, they would not be acting illegally.
Still, they would have to demonstrate clearly how they maintain product temperature through their broader handling protocols and would be exposed if issues arose because they would be acting outside industry best practice.
Below is an excerpt from the GCCA Portal;
*By being a Member of the RWTA you are immediately recognised as a Member of the Global Cold Chain Alliance as well.
The GCCA have online resources that are free for you to use as are the 18 scientists and emergency request portal.
Let me know if you do not have a sign in and we will get this for you.
