Temperature Monitoring of Chilled & Frozen Food for Grocery Deliveries

One of the many changes the COVID-19 pandemic caused in everyday life is the increase in customers ordering groceries online. Looking to avoid crowded shops, more people have taken to grocery shopping from the comfort of their own home than ever before. Online sales in September were up by 76% compared to the same period in 2019.

In addition, tighter restrictions placed on the hospitality sector are leading many people to buy more groceries to prepare meals at home. This is also true for the upcoming festive season with consumers expecting to celebrate the holidays at home rather than in restaurants. Even though many anticipate to spend less on gifts this year, food and drink sales are predicted to increase with one third of shoppers indicating that most of their Christmas spend will go towards groceries.

Many retailers have reacted to the increased demand for online food shopping by adding more booking slots and signing new deals with delivery companies. Delivering groceries to a customer’s doorstep poses a host of challenges, from storage to planning deliveries, the logistics behind it are complex. One important aspect that needs to be integrated is ensuring food safety of the delivered goods. Chilled and frozen foods need to be stored at the correct temperature throughout their journey to protect consumers’ health and ensure regulatory compliance.

Temperature Monitoring Solutions

Supporting food retailers to maintain regulatory compliance during home deliveries, Resource Data Management (RDM) offers a battery-powered temperature probe ideal for monitoring chilled and frozen food during transport.

The small, compact probe can easily be placed in boxes or compartments to monitor temperatures while groceries are being delivered. Whether food retail stores are sending their food to customers via traditional delivery vehicles or bike couriers, the probe can be used in any setting. The temperature probe can be programmed via an app available for Android and iOS.

The probe stores temperature readings in ten-minute intervals while the delivery vehicle is making its rounds. Using Bluetooth technology, the probe will then transmit the readings wirelessly once the vehicle is back within signalling range to the control system head-end DMTouch.

The DMTouch is RDM’s control and monitoring system head-end for HVAC and refrigeration (HVACR) devices. In addition to managing HVACR infrastructure, the DMTouch can store data for legislative compliance. Once the temperature probe sends its readings, the DMTouch will store it for future analysis. Boasting a 16 GB hard drive, the DMTouch can store up to 5 years’ worth of data from a full grocery store. The data can then be forwarded via email, accessed via a remote connection, or exported for offline use.

The Bluetooth wireless temperature probe is easy to set up, simply placed in the environment it needs to monitor and helps food retailers ensure regulatory compliance. With another busy time of online ordering approaching, it is a hassle-free method to monitoring the temperature of chilled and frozen food during transport.