What is food logistics?
Food logistics focuses on logistics in the food market - an industry that is one of the most significant sectors of the German economy. An increasing range of products, fluctuating demand patterns, scarce logistics and sales space, and the perishable nature of goods are challenges facing food logistics.
Since foodstuffs are very sensitive goods, reliability and speed are of the utmost importance in food logistics. Cold chains must be strictly adhered to and intermediate storage also requires highly sensitive, hygienic handling of the products. Modern inventory management can help increase transparency for consumers. With warehouse management software, for example, product batches can be traced and best-before dates monitored, providing greater security in the food warehouse.
Food can be classified, for example, according to the following aspects:
- Origin of the raw materials
- Ingredients
- Origin
- Processing
- Consumption occasion
- Cooling demand
Overall, digitization continues to advance and change the development of e-commerce across the grocery industry and brick-and-mortar grocery retail. Many retailers already recognize this and offer different delivery options for customers.