Chilled / reefer cargo — transport, packaging, compliance

Meat, fish, fruit, vegetables, dairy in cold chain between −25 °C and +15 °C.

Chilled / reefer cargo is one of the product groups with clear requirements on equipment, documentation and compliance. Packaging at origin already determines how smoothly the downstream chain runs: the wrong packaging or an unsuitable transport mode drives delays, quality losses or returns.

Thorough preparation saves time and money, reduces claims and simplifies customs clearance. In international flows additional factors matter: climate zones along the route, transhipment nodes and regulatory differences between countries are the decisive levers.

Reefer containers (40' RF), reefer trailers, specialised reefer vessels. Cold Treatment (CT) for certain fruits (plums, kiwis).

Equipment choice is critical. Before shipment check: weight-to-volume ratio, moisture and temperature requirements, shock and vibration sensitivity, cargo securing per VDI 2700, compatibility with transhipment points and return or disposal of packaging at destination.

For Chilled / reefer cargo a clear shipping SOP with photos of the correct load and stowage plan, a driver/stower checklist and a defined escalation path for deviations pays off. For multi-modal lanes, pre-align a cargo-care protocol between shipper, forwarder and carrier.

EU Reg 853/2004 for animal products, TRACES NT, veterinary border control posts.

For third-country flows, verify pre-shipment inspections, country-specific certificates (CoC, SASO, PSI, SONCAP) and origin documents. Preferential origin documents such as EUR.1, Form A, USMCA or RCEP can unlock double-digit duty savings depending on the flow and should be designed in at sourcing stage.

For new flows plan a pilot shipment to validate every step — including document review, customs clearance and consignee feedback. Build a lessons-learned review afterwards and codify the findings in shipping SOPs and the TMS.