Continuous cold chain

To have fresh fish and seafood on the menu is a must for any quality restaurant. Besides, many families also enjoy healthy fish dishes on a regular basis. In order to safeguard the constant quality of the product – from the catch right down to its preparation in the kitchen – an unbroken cold chain is essential. This means that transports of fresh fish must be kept at a constant temperature of two degrees Celsius. The METRO Group has developed a dedicated monitoring system, mandatory for all countries, to constantly meet this requirement. Strict regulations are in place for fish farms and packing stations from Iceland to Thailand – enforced by constant hygiene inspections.

The logistical challenge

Rather than holding large amounts of fresh fish in stock, METRO Cash & Carry stores prefer to order new produce every day. This calls for high-performance logistics systems: suppliers from over 60 countries bring the fresh products to central transfer hubs by ship, truck or airplane. All trucks taking the goods from warehouses to individual stores are fitted with automatic monitoring devices which check the temperature in the cargo space by means of sensors. These measurements are transmitted by satellite to a database in a central control room, where they are constantly analyzed. If necessary, the METRO Group can take immediate action: should the temperature in a truck exceed the predefined limit, it is immediately ordered to the nearest cold storage facility.

High-tech for high quality

At METRO Cash & Carry, fresh fish is on display under crushed ice, while deep-frozen fish is offered in refrigerated displays. Sensors monitor the temperature and transmit the data to a central server. If the temperature exceeds a specified limit, the system notifies the store manager. Employees can then proactively remove all affected products from the sales floor. The monitoring system also sends a message to the maintenance personnel responsible for repairing the defective cooling system.