Fighting for food logistics

Its purpose is to ‘Promote excellence in food and drink logistics’ and it does this by providing support and advice on cost efficiencies, environmental impact and sustainability, good business practice and legislation. It also generates new business and networking opportunities, and through the organisation’s profile with Government and local boroughs, academia and other allied trade bodies, it ensures that the industry's interests are represented at the highest levels.

The Federation today covers the whole temperature controlled storage and distribution industry, from frozen to ambient. And with its main members from the food and drink storage and distribution industry, the FSDF also has retail, foodservice and wholesaler membership and Associate members who supply a wide range of equipment, vehicles and support services.

Leadership role
Professional advice and assistance is made available on Food Safety, Health and Safety, Transport Regulations and a host of other complex legislative areas. This is delivered through specialist advisory groups and established two-way working relationships with relevant academic research institutions and Government Departments such as Defra and Department of Energy & Climate Change.

The FSDF has a developed working relationship with the HSE and has successfully represented members’ interests by influencing the HSE health and safety strategy for the relevant industry sector. In order to encourage further active engagement between its members and the HSE, the FSDF has developed a Health and Safety Leadership Programme - a highly visible initiative designed for member companies who are more progressive and wish to assure they achieve the highest standards of health and safety performance.

FSDF members who are part of the Health and Safety Leadership Programme have a proven commitment to ensuring their organisation’s health and safety programmes are inline with the aims of the HSE strategy and are based upon the following essential principles:

• Business leaders will be accountable for the prevention of harm from work activities and to recognise that it is part of the way they do business throughout the food logistics supply chain. 
• Individuals at all levels will accept their roles and responsibilities for health and safety. 
• Members continually strive to reduce both accidents and incidents within their businesses.
• Recognition of the wider perspective regarding Health and Safety and the need to actively support and share best practice to improve the health and safety performance within our industry sector. 

The strong relationships between the members and the FSDF administration team ensures that the organisation remains at the heart of its members’ activities. As members’ priorities often change, the FSDF has an effective, open channel of communication to ensure the services it offers are meeting the needs of its members.

Recently, the FSDF has teamed up with Slough Borough Council to create a Primary Authority Partnership Scheme – a Government initiative to reduce red tape lead by the Better Regulations Delivery Office of BIS. The scheme has been set up to help tackle the key compliance issues affecting members’ businesses and ensure its members are benefitting from legitimate compliance advice, reducing the associated risks and costs of non-compliance. Trade Associations became eligible to develop a scheme from 1st October 2013, and FSDF is proud to be a leader organisation in creating such a beneficial relationship for its members across the food logistics industry sector.

Mr Sturman commented on the PAP scheme: "The Food sector is quite rightly subject to considerable and ever changing regulations that can prove difficult for businesses to fully understand what is required and when it is required. The FSDF creates connections and builds relationships with the people and organisations that can make a difference to our members and offer support and guidance when it matters. When it came to compliance, the team at Slough Council PAP offered our members complete peace of mind that they are meeting the industry regulations, therefore reducing risk and potential costs.”

Specialist services and advice
The FSDF also has a range of specialist committees formed of representatives from within the industry, who offer expertise from within the specific sector or industry.

The FSDF Transfrigoroute Committee comprises 17 representatives from distribution operators, refrigeration manufacturers such as Thermo King, Carrier and Frigoblock, equipment manufacturers, fleet engineers and fleet management experts.

The committee focuses on a range of issues and supporting the members in their understanding and liabilities surrounding the proposed new regulations for the phasing out of HFC gases in mobile refrigeration units. Other issues such as the development of longer trailers is also on the committee’s agenda as is input into wider F-Gas regulations, which are currently under review in Brussels.

The Technical and Safety Committee is another important arm of the FSDF with the aim of sharing best practice as well as helping its members to develop a better understand of relevant legislation and safety regulations.

Chris Sturman also commented: "Health and Safety in the workplace is such an important issue, historically and currently, and the FSDF’s Technical and Safety committee (TASC) represents the future. It demonstrates the prowess, knowledge and experience of highly professional individuals with a great depth of experience in the food and drink logistics supply chain. The committee is comprised of experienced individuals in engineering and refrigeration as well as safety advisors and specialists who use their considerable knowledge of best practice to enhance services for FSDF members.”

Other active committees include Business Affairs and Education and Training. 

Training
The FSDF has launched a range of training and skills solutions for the temperature controlled logistics industry, working closely with companies to ensure the training meets the needs of employers as well as to provide a focused and continuous FSDF Training and Skills Pathway for individuals working in the industry.

The FSDF’s Pathway programme will be delivered in association with Skills for Logistics, Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport UK and other specialist training partners to establish a quality assured national delivery network of partners who are all experts in the temperature controlled logistics sector.

Mr Sturman commented: ‘We are exceptionally proud of our training and Pathway programmes, which have been specifically designed to provide quality career training and development within the industry.’

The Pathway qualifications include funded and full cost training packages that will help employers meet their legislative obligations and in addition support staff career development.

As the FSDF aims to be the authoritative voice on skills development issues across the food and temperature controlled logistics sector, this new industry training programme proposes an initial offer that will continue to develop with the maturity of the FSDF’s ‘Pathway Qualifications’.

A global voice
The FSDF have built close connections with fellow trade associations, and also sit on DEFRA and Department for Transport industry committees. The Federation also frequently interacts with trade bodies such as the British Hospitality Association, the Food and Drink Federation, the British Retail Consortium, UK Dairy and Chilled Foods Association.

The FSDF has a global reach, as an affiliate partner of the International Association of Refrigerated Warehouses, working with the America based World Food Logistics Organisation, the Global Cold Chain Alliance and ECSLA, the GCCA European Division.

Following the integration of Transfrigoroute UK into the FSDF, the Transport Committee is the dedicated transport focused area of the organisation, building on the internationally recognised brand name to provide the combined membership with an even louder, stronger voice throughout the UK and Europe.