LESSON 5
INSPECTION OF CONVEYANCES/CARRIERS
5-1.
INSULATION REQUIREMENTS
Conveyances, or carriers, that carry perishable food products must maintain those
products in a refrigerated or frozen state. They must be well-insulated, air-tight, and have
tight-fitting doors. Cargo space on conveyances/carriers must be pre-cooled before the
carrier is loaded and the temperatures taken and recorded. This ensures that the
refrigeration equipment is functioning properly and will maintain the state of refrigeration
required for the product while it is being transported. This pre-cooling also will decrease
the amount of heat transfer from the conveyance/carrier to the product when it is loaded.
The temperature will rise again when the doors are opened and also during loading.
However, the body will have been cooled and the refrigeration capability of the
conveyance/carrier determined.
5-2.
TEMPERATURE REQUIREMENTS
a. Straight Freeze Loads. For 100-percent frozen (straight freeze) loads of food
products owned by the Defense Supply Center Philadelphia (DSCP), the conveyance
must be pre-cooled to 10F or lower and maintained at 0F or lower while in transit. For
Army-owned food products, the standard is 10F while in transit.
b. Straight Chill Loads. For 100-percent chilled (straight chill) loads owned by
DSCP, the conveyance must be pre-cooled to 40-50F and maintained at 40-50F while
in transit. For Army-owned food products, the standard is 45F while in transit.
c. Mixed Chilled and Frozen Loads. When there is a mixed load, the
temperature requirements for the chilled products are the same as for straight chill loads.
The standard for the frozen products is 20F, and they must be hard frozen upon arrival
at destination with no signs of defrosting. To separate the frozen products from the
chilled products, an insulated barrier of plywood, wood, or aluminum must be constructed,
with portions of barrier material extending through the floor racks to the floor. As a
minimum standard, insulated blankets, insulated tarpaulins, or heavy, insulated,
waterproof barrier paper should be used to segregate the chilled and frozen products.
5-3.
SIGNIFICANCE OF TEMPERATURE DISCREPANCY
If conveyances/carriers that are transporting food products have temperatures
above or below requirements, this indicates possible high/low product temperature and
should clue the inspector to check products for possible thawing and/or freezing.
MD0694
5-2