Leading the cold chain

At the core of the FSDF offer is practical support for businesses with the day-to-day operational and regulatory issues that they have to manage. Our Climate Change Agreement scheme helped businesses with temperature controlled warehousing to save over £6 million in tax liabilities in 2017. Linked to those our advisory service helps members to drive energy efficiencies and bear down on the spiralling energy costs that are a burden shared by all.

The jewel in the crown is the Federation’s Primary Authority Partnership (PAP). This vital innovation means that by seeking out and following the Federation’s advice members can be sure their procedures on issues like refrigerant management, health and safety processes and food date coding are correct and unchallengeable when local authority inspectors come to call. All members are automatically registered in the FSDF Partnership and so benefit from our assurance. Best of all we are on the end of the phone to help you tackle the knotty issues and help you find solutions that have either been tried and tested by others in the industry or are verified by local authority experts.

We also take the stress out of commercial agreements, by providing all members with the ability to use our industry standard terms and conditions. These legal agreements specifically tailored to the needs of temperature-controlled food storage or distribution businesses are a major reassurance for members large and small as they seek to protect their commercial interests. 

Above all we are a forum for people that work in our highly specialist industry to come together, to learn from each other and pool their knowledge and experience in a way that solves common problems. Our Technical and Safety Committee provides a ‘must have’ network for compliance professionals in our industry. 

STANDING UP FOR YOU 

Whether it be resolving issues with your local authority, arguing your case to UK Government or making your voice heard on the global stage, the FSDF is here to be your representative. 

At a time of major uncertainty over how our food trade will work through Brexit and beyond, the FSDF is closely consulting with Ministers and officials across all the relevant parts of Government. Also with decades of experience operating within the EU we have a key network of influence within the EU and Federations in other member states. And as a key partner of the Global Cold Chain Alliance we are able to expose our members to a truly global perspective on the issues facing our supply chain. 

It is on the issues of finding solutions to environmental challenges, from climate change to air quality emissions, that the Federation comes into its own. Arguing for a proper partnership with government over the roll out of innovation in the industry, from new engines for vehicles and mobile equipment to major energy efficiencies in plant and equipment, the Federation is bringing practical knowledge and common sense to decision making. We are very aware that left to Ministers, policy officials and environmental campaigners the burdens and unintended consequences for our industry would be severe.