Printing News serves the entire Printing Industry with targeted content for the large commercial print segment.
SECTOR REPORTS T
oday's consumers want access to virtually anything, anytime of the year, including an array of food items from diff erent countries, according to the experts in the airline industry. Carmen Taylor, managing director
for American Airlines Cargo (AA Cargo)'s Latin America Division sums it up: "The consumer appetite for all types of foods available year- round is going to continue." According to Nick Finbow, operations direc-
tor, Hellmann Perishable Logistics, some of the hottest food trends and commodities include exports of Scottish Salmon to the U.S., and exports of U.S. cherries to the UK. The U.S.-South America trade lane is domi-
nated by South American exports of vegetables, such as asparagus, to the U.S., says Miffy Wiggs, general manager of Delta Cargo. In addition, U.S. imports of tuna from Guam is another popular item, she notes. However, "The trends are kind of dependant on the seasonality of the actual product itself," Wiggs adds.
While air carriers are moving and increasing
volumes of food products around the world, like other transportation providers, they're in a never-ending battle with rising fuel costs. "The fuel costs have jumped more than 40
percent between 2005 and 2011," says Colin Rogers, senior manager of specialty sales, Southwest Air Cargo. "This is what gets passed on to the shippers, usually in the form of fuel surcharges."
Fresh programs and services With more food products being shipped, and often for longer distances, shippers and carriers alike are looking for ways to prevent spoilage along the way. For starters, it's important to make sure that the product isn't too warm or too cold. One solution is AA Cargo's Expedite TC
program, which is designed for passive and active temperature control monitoring during transportation. "Although the temperature control containers
that we offer are more targeted for the pharma- ceutical industry, we are seeing more and more food customers out there that are looking for this kind of service," says Taylor. The ability to
32 MARCH 2012 • FOOD LOGISTICS
AA Cargo and Southwest Cargo both use OnAsset's wireless Sentry 400 FlightSafe device. The device provides carriers and shippers with full visibility into the chain-of- custody and also provides information such as current location and proactive tem- perature monitoring, as well as cargo humidity and motion.
monitor and track a shipment online is one of the benefits of the Expedite TC program. AA Cargo also offers a cooling service called AA Cool Perishables, which provides pre-cooling for shipments at the Miami gateway. "When the shipments come in, we put them in the cooler in order to protect them from the weather elements," says Taylor. The longer perishable products take to
be delivered, the more likely the quality will decrease, which is why perishable products should be delivered in a timely manner. South- west Air Cargo recommends their service called Next Flight Guaranteed (NFG), which is for shipments that need to be sent out on the next
available flight. One of the advantages with this service is that perishable cargo will ship on a nonstop and direct route. Southwest guarantees that a shipment will be in transit on the next available flight or the customer will receive a refund. Southwest also has a RUSH Priority Freight
service that offers an expedited service. Accord- ing to Southwest, a shipment will reach its final destination within 24 hours or the customer will receive a 50 percent refund.
Cool equipment
Along with using the best programs and ser- vices available, utilizing the right equipment is
www.foodlogistics.com
TRANSPORTATION: AIR CARGO Shipping Perishables by Air Cargo Longer supply chains mean more focus on maintaining the cold chain in transit. By Maria Hoffman