Quality Assurance in Logistics
StorageMany producers of natural enemies operate
on a national or even international scale.
Most natural enemies need to be kept cool
during the logistic chain. Optimal storage
temperatures and maximum storage times
differ depending on the species. Therefore
rooms at different temperatures are needed
both at the producers’ facilities and at the
facilities of local subsidiaries or distributors.
Strict written protocols and regular internal
audits have to ensure that products are
stored under the prescribed conditions and
that maximum storage times are respected
throughout the logistic chain. The perfor-
mance of storage facilities and the stability of
storage temperatures can be monitored with
dedicated climate computers or even with
simple data-loggers.
The developmental stage of the natural
enemy not only influences the production
cost and the possibility of mechanizing parts
of the production and/or packaging process
but also influences shelf-life and survival
during storage and transportation. Whitefly
parasites and certain aphid parasites, for
example, can be stored much longer in the
pupal stage and are less sensitive to mechan-
ical damage during the harvesting and for-
mulation process than when stored as
nymphs or adults.
Packaging for transportationDuring transportation from the producer to
the local subsidiary or distributor and from
there to the end-user, the products have to be
kept cool. Large-volume transportation is
done by truck or air cargo under climate-
controlled conditions. Transportation to the
end-user is often done with delivery vans,
which need to be climate-controlled as well,
especially in areas with extreme climatic con-
ditions. During the logistic chain, the prod-
ucts are packed in insulated, polystyrene
boxes, together with ice-packs. Many pro-
ducers have worked on the optimization of
such packaging techniques. Since ice-packs
have a limited lifespan, even when transport
takes place under climate-controlled condi-
tions, transport has to be fast to ensure the
arrival of an optimal product. Delays
through slow customs-clearance procedures
at international borders and airports may be
very detrimental for the quality of the prod-
ucts. Fortunately, nowadays the customs of
most countries are used to weekly importa-
tion of natural enemies. Special attention has
to be paid to air exchange in packages when
large volumes of certain natural enemies are
transported. If very large volumes of
Amblyseius cucumeris or bumble bees are
packed and transported in a way that does
not allow sufficient air exchange, carbon
dioxide can build up to very high levels,
resulting in mortality of the organisms.Minimum label requirementsLabelling of biological control products is
currently not regulated in most countries.
Also, in the biocontrol industry, there is cur-
rently no formal agreement on minimum
label requirements for natural enemies,
although it is always a point of great atten-
tion at meetings of IBMA and ANBP. I pro-
pose the following minimum label
requirements: scientific name of the natural
enemy, target hosts, number of individuals
per unit (bottle, card, sachet, etc.), use-by
date, batch number for tracking and tracing
in case of complaints, optimal storage tem-
perature and method of release. Because of
the limited ‘shelf-life’ of natural enemies,
products need to be packed and prepared
just before shipping. For international
exporting companies, last-minute labelling
of relatively small numbers of products with
different labels in different languages for dif-
ferent countries becomes extremely compli-
cated and therefore expensive to organize.
Therefore, several companies have devel-
oped universal pictograms to provide the
above-mentioned information for the cus-
tomer. The customer can find further infor-
mation and explanation of the pictograms in
his own language in a booklet of user guide-
lines or on a poster that is supplied at least
once a year to the customer.Development of Quality Control in Europe 221