Getting food from warehouse to table and everywhere in between requires stops in a number of locations. Produce can travel from warehouse areas to grocery stores or supermarkets before products ever hit their final destinations — the consumers’ dining tables. At every step of the way, there’s a risk of products being damaged. Spills, falls, and bumps can compromise products at any part of the movement process, but when the product is food, it can be particularly troublesome. The USDA’s Economic Research Service estimates that $161.6 billion in food goes uneaten each year, despite this food being at the retail and consumer stage. Roughly 3 percent is lost during processing and packaging and 18 percent during distribution. The goal of many food grade warehouses is to reduce that waste by ensuring products stay safe from warehouse to table.
Food products require special handling across the entire supply chain. Some of the most common issues affecting food grade warehouses are:
With billions of pounds of food hitting landfills every year, warehouses are on the lookout for ways to ensure product winds up on tables instead of in trash cans. At the facility and retail level, some of the most common causes of food loss are faulty storage, equipment failure, or over-ordering. The right equipment can help warehouse teams keep food safe when moving from warehouse to table.
Pallet jacks (or pallet trucks) are star players in any warehouse. They don’t require warehouse teams to train members on operating them like they would with a forklift. Their small size means they can be taken from one location to another if needed. Pallet jacks can move quite a bit of product nimbly around the warehouse without damaging temperature-sensitive equipment.
Hand trucks like our Cobra Pro are perfect for moving products anywhere around the warehouse or grocery store. They allow teams to stop struggling with carrying products out to shelves by hand, thus reducing the risk of food being dropped. These hand trucks can transport up to 600 lb in two-wheel mode or up to 1,200 lb in four-wheel mode. They’re easy to maneuver through tight spaces as well, minimizing damage to other parts of the warehouse and also to the products.
Platform stackers combine the capability of pallet jacks with the convenience of easier lifts. Stackers are perfect for lifting in tight spaces. Their smaller stature means that operators have clearer visibility when moving food around the warehouse. They’re also often a more cost-friendly alternative to forklifts, and may prove more useful in food-grade warehouses where products typically stay on lower levels to facilitate ease of movement.
Sometimes, warehouses or grocery stores need custom solutions to meet the needs of their layout or workflow. Wesco has the capability to design and manufacture a variety of steel or aluminum products to help streamline the process and keep food products safe.
At Wesco, we provide warehouses with a variety of products to make transporting heavy product loads easier. From warehouse to table, we’ve got the entire supply chain covered. Since its inception, Wesco has been committed to bringing problem-solving and innovative thinking to the forefront of distributor and supplier management. Looking to optimize your food grade facility? Wesco can help! Leave us a message or chat with us during business hours, and our team will be in touch.
