transported.The companyhas developedits ownHACCPschemeand is audited
by NetherlandsControllingAuthorityfor Milk and MilkProducts(COKZ)twicea
year.ThisHACCPschemepreciselydescribesthe set-pointsof the temperatures
and howthis temperatureis monitored,and forbidsmixedtransports.
Furthermore, the schemealso describes the cleaningprocedure.The 20 self-
ownedtrucksare cleanedevery month witha high-pressurewaterspraygun and
scrubbedwithan aqueous solutionof a biodegradabledetergent. Stainson the
interiorare sandedaway,the completeinteriorof the truck is treated witha
steam spraygun and finally it is treated witha dedicated and approved
disinfectant(see Fig. 25.1).Thisprocedurehas beendevelopedoverfive years.
Its effectivenessis testedtwice everymonthby microbial surfacesamplingand
testing.Samples are taken at ten spotsin the interiorand exterior of the truck.
The averagescore shouldnot exceed the limitof 1.4 cfu/cm^2 aftercleaning.This
cleaning procedurehardly ever fails.Whenit does,the truckneedsto be cleaned
again.Besideshavingits owntrucks,this companyalso serves as distribution
centrefor transport partnersfromCentral Europe(CzechRepublic, Romania).
All trucksfromCentralEuropeare cleanedfollowingthe same procedureevery
timetheystop at Woudenberg(about 100 per month), not onlyto maintain the
hygieneof the truckinterior,but also to cleanthe oftenhighlypolluted exterior.
In this transportcompanyone employee is continuouslybusycleaning and
maintainingtrucks.Hence,maintaininga highlevelof hygienerequires serious
attention and addssignificantlyto the overallcosts.
As mentionedpreviously, Greef-Woudenberg BV is an advanced examplein
the meat and cheese sector, where temperaturecontroland avoiding cross-
contaminationare important.It is not representativefor all transport operators.
On the otherend of the hygiene spectrum, thereare the fruitand vegetable
transporters. They use a mix of closed and open vehicles. Since cross-
contaminationis not an issue in the transport of fruitsand vegetables(mostloads
are heavilycontaminatedwithBotrytis,FusariumandRhizopus), the cleaningof
the vehicles receiveslittleattention. However,this couldchangein the future,
especially for veryperishable fruits suchas strawberries.In orderto increasethe
shelf-life of the fruits,thereare severalinitiatives on-goingto reduce the initial
Rhizopusload on strawberries.Once successful thesewill needto be transported
in cleantrucksto keep the loadlow and the shelf-life longer.
To summarise,Europehas a complicatedlegislationregardingthe hygiene of
foodtransport, but it is expected to be simplified in a few yearstime.Transport
operators havedealtwiththis legislationand haveestablished proceduresto
managethe temperatureand avoidcross-contamination. In essence, this works
fine.The onlydownside,perhaps, is the poortransparencyfor outsiders.There
are severalpending issues.
25.5 Temperaturemanagement
The refrigerationunits and insulation of refrigerated truckshavebeendesigned
to be able to maintain the temperature of the chilledload evenunderhot summer
Improvinghygienein foodtransportation 399