La Chaîne Logistique du Froid, a professional association that represents companies responsible for temperature-controlled transport and logistics, has warned about the risks of disruption of supply of fresh and frozen products to the customers of transport companies: industrialists, supermarkets, catering.
Supply chain penalized by refinery blockades
The blockades of oil refineries in progress on the national territory confront companies that transport perishable goods (agricultural raw materials - meat, fish products, fruit & vegetables - finished or semi-finished products - ready meals, catering products, fresh or frozen) with increasing difficulties to get fuel supplies.
"We demand that fuel production be maintained and accessible to refrigerated transporters, otherwise the supply of food products to the population will be jeopardized", warns Valérie Lasserre, general delegate of La Chaîne Logistique du Froid, a professional association representing 120 companies involved in the transport and storage of fresh and frozen products, providing just-in-time supplies of foodstuffs.
Less than a week of autonomy
The fresh produce transporters interviewed by La Chaîne Logistique du Froid are experiencing fuel supply difficulties throughout the country, particularly in the Hauts-de-France region. For transporters equipped with tanks, the reserves available are in some cases less than one week. Other carriers are dependent on the stocks available at gas stations.
"The time needed to restart a refinery plant is about 6 days. If no measures are taken quickly to maintain the production and distribution of fuel, our refrigerated transporters could run out of fuel in the very short term and therefore be unable to work," says Valérie Lasserre.
Tension on three products: diesel, non-road diesel, and AdBlue
Three products are concerned, and the cold chain is particularly affected. Refrigerated trucks require two fuels: diesel to power the traction engines and non-road diesel to power the thermal cooling systems (refrigeration units) that are essential for maintaining the temperature of foodstuffs. In addition to these two fuels, there is the additive commonly known as AdBlue, which significantly reduces polluting exhaust emissions.
For more information:
La Chaîne Logistique du Froid
lachainelogistiquedufroid.fr
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