COLOMBIA is the new source of fresh cut flowers Air France KLM Martinair Cargo will bring to Europe now that it is attending the Proflora 2019 flower show in Bogota October 2-4, reports the American Journal of Transportation.
'We will use the opportunity to announce that our flower flow out of Colombia is now FlowerWatch approved. Our unique degree-hour controlled shipping method has been specially designed to handle delicate flowers,' said Air France KLM Martinair Cargo perishables chief Eric Mauroux.
Cold-chain management has emerged as vital in the post-harvest life of fresh flowers. Temperature exposure contributes to discolouring, wilting, poor flower opening, and premature ageing, said Mr Mauroux.
'We are not only improving the quality and vase life of fresh-cut flowers but also fostering vertical collaboration among all stakeholders in the supply chain. We are the first airline to gain certification, making it a reaffirmation of our commitment to the flower industry,' he said.
FlowerWatch claims it has developed a fail-safe quality assurance system that not only identifies cold chain problems, but helps to fix them. The system's central concept is 'time temperature exposure', which is expressed in degree hours. This is the average temperature of your fresh flowers throughout transportation multiplied by the number of hours (1 degree hour = 1 hour x 1 degree Celsius), the airline statement said.
'Every 500 degree hours reduces vase life by one day. The key to successful cold chain performance is to minimise the number of degree hours,' it said.
AFKLMP Cargo ships 32,000 tonnes of fresh flowers from Colombia (11,000) and Ecuador (21,000) to Amsterdam Airport Schiphol.
'After the successful launch of the first FlowerWatch certification in Kenya last June 2019, we have continued to extend the programme to other flower markets,' said Mr Mauroux.
WORLD SHIPPING
'We will use the opportunity to announce that our flower flow out of Colombia is now FlowerWatch approved. Our unique degree-hour controlled shipping method has been specially designed to handle delicate flowers,' said Air France KLM Martinair Cargo perishables chief Eric Mauroux.
Cold-chain management has emerged as vital in the post-harvest life of fresh flowers. Temperature exposure contributes to discolouring, wilting, poor flower opening, and premature ageing, said Mr Mauroux.
'We are not only improving the quality and vase life of fresh-cut flowers but also fostering vertical collaboration among all stakeholders in the supply chain. We are the first airline to gain certification, making it a reaffirmation of our commitment to the flower industry,' he said.
FlowerWatch claims it has developed a fail-safe quality assurance system that not only identifies cold chain problems, but helps to fix them. The system's central concept is 'time temperature exposure', which is expressed in degree hours. This is the average temperature of your fresh flowers throughout transportation multiplied by the number of hours (1 degree hour = 1 hour x 1 degree Celsius), the airline statement said.
'Every 500 degree hours reduces vase life by one day. The key to successful cold chain performance is to minimise the number of degree hours,' it said.
AFKLMP Cargo ships 32,000 tonnes of fresh flowers from Colombia (11,000) and Ecuador (21,000) to Amsterdam Airport Schiphol.
'After the successful launch of the first FlowerWatch certification in Kenya last June 2019, we have continued to extend the programme to other flower markets,' said Mr Mauroux.
WORLD SHIPPING