All thawed out
Hydropac has developed a solution to a problem that I had no idea existed. That problem is preserving and maintaining the freshness of pet food. As a longtime server of kibble to my dogs, I had no idea there were challenges with keeping refrigerated pet foods safe. I assumed it was a similar process to that of meal kit deliveries for humans.
The new Hydropac ice packs are changing the traditional ice pack model. These new packages use a two-layer material that is sealed on all four sides. The design allows for multiple internal pockets within each ice pack, which gives more precise control over dimensions and ensures consistent chilling throughout the container as the box moves in transport.
According to a Packaging Gateway article, the new advantages for these ice packs are “Enhanced insulation, extended cooling duration and superior leak resistance: these ice packs boast a burst strength exceeding 200kg.”
Temperature Checks
Moving into the acquisition side of the world, fulfillment provider Stord announced recently it has acquired ProPack Logistics to strengthen its temperature-controlled and last-mile shipping services. Through this acquisition, Stord will now be able to expand cross-border offerings between the U.S. and Canada.
The current Stord footprint consists of fulfillment centers in Atlanta; North Haven, Connecticut; Dallas; and Las Vegas and Reno, Nevada. This purchase establishes the company in Seattle, Salt Lake City and Nashville, Tennessee. It also includes two Canadian locations in Vancouver, British Columbia, and Mississauga, Ontario. This now gives Stord 1.6 million square feet of fulfillment centers.
CEO Sean Henry said in an article by FreightWaves’ Grace Sharkey, “E-commerce and omnichannel retail continue to evolve at an accelerated pace as consumer demands have incorporated habits from digital-only experiences during COVID into the broader retail environment. This has forced brands to embrace additional channels, geographies, and unique pre- and post-purchase experiences to meet consumers where they are and provide a world-class experience. … Stord is positioned to solve each of these challenges for brands, and do so in a way that allows them to sell more, save money and reduce headaches.”
Here’s to expansion up north. Welcome to the party, Canada.
Food and Drug
The U.S. frozen food industry was valued at $297 billion last year, a real quaint mom-and-pop operation. CPG manufacturer Conagra Brands Inc. is focusing on getting a larger piece of that pie as it makes frozen food a key part of its future.
Starting off strong at the beginning of the year, Conagara partnered with Dolly Parton to develop a line of retail food items that will soon include frozen foods, as well as refrigerated, grocery and snack products.
The heavy push into frozen comes as “sales within Conagra’s Refrigerated & Frozen segment fell 8.1% to $1.20 billion as price/mix decreased 4.8% and volume decreased 3.3%, but the decline in price/mix was mostly due to investments in the frozen food business. Conagra gained dollar share in several categories, including frozen sides, frozen single-serve meals, frozen breakfast and frozen seafood,” according to a Food Business Net article.
As the company looks for ways to expand and grow its ready-to-heat frozen food lineup, it brings hope that consumers will have a wider variety of options as well. However as a consumer I’d love to see some more affordable options in the frozen food space. Looking at you, frozen pizza consistently over $10.
Cold chain lanes
This week’s SONAR market is heading to the Upper Midwest: Milwaukee. Capacity in Milwaukee is loosening as both reefer outbound tender volumes and reefer outbound tender rejections are falling. Outbound volumes are on the decline but are still up 15.82% week over week. Rejections, on the other hand, have fallen from 3.64% on April 3 to 1.27% now, a 241-basis-point difference in seven days. When both volumes and rejection rates are falling, it opens up capacity in the market, in turn helping outbound tender lead times settle in at three days on average for freight coming out of the land of cheese.
Is SONAR for you? Check it out with a demo!
Shelf life
Meat heist: More than $12,000 worth of pork stolen from refrigerated truck in Philadelphia
McCain acquires Irish frozen food business Strong Roots
Ultra Low Freezers Market Projected To Exceed US$927.7 Million By 2032
Supporting safe and secure temperature-controlled logistics with the smart mobile freezer, D-mobico
Avery Dennison and Controlant provide end-to-end visibility with IoT device
Wanna chat in the cooler? Shoot me an email with comments, questions or story ideas at moconnell@freightwaves.com.
See you on the internet.
Mary
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