Amid strong segment demand and governments working to ensure continuous supply of perishable products, the perishable export market has remained robust during the pandemic. Etihad Cargo has been well-placed to leverage the increased demand, and through its dedicated FreshForward product the company safely transports perishables such as flowers, fresh fruits, vegetables, dairy, fish, and meat, while maintaining product integrity across its global network in accordance with the latest IATA standards, international requirements, local regulations, and best practices.
Fabrice Panza, Etihad Cargo’s manager of global cool chain solutions, said that despite last year’s disturbances related to COVID-19, transport for perishables remains high: “It’s true, globally you would have faced a decrease in the capacity (due to COVID-19) but when you look at the figures you also see that perishables continued to be transported at a high volume for any airlines.”
With a high volume of produce being transported, FreshForward prides itself with a consistent and thorough examination of the factors and best practices in the cold chain process that affect maintenance of the product.
FreshForward has also passed stringent food safety management protocols within Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP) methodology. As a result, FreshForward maintains its certification for IATA’s Centre of Excellence for Independent Validators (CEIV) for fresh products. As a result, Etihad Cargo is the first carrier in the Middle East, and second globally, to be awarded the IATA CEIV Fresh certificate.
Source: foodmag.com.au