Cold chain issues are becoming increasingly prominent, with a number of issues occurring in New Zealand most recently. Understanding the latest cold chain issues and understanding why cold chain data logger issues are such a problem is key to preventing these kinds of issues from happening. Here we want to explain what cold chain issues are, inform you about the latest issues in New Zealand and share how Signatrol can help.

What are cold chain issues?

Cold chain issues arise from problems with cold chain conditions. Cold chain conditions are primarily used in the pharmaceuticals, chemicals and food industries to keep products at the correct temperature at all times and during transport. The most common cold chain issues are damaged freezer doors, issues with condensation and microbial growth that can all damage the products inside. Problems can often occur at the interfaces, i.e., the transfer between one refrigerated environment to the next. The best way to ensure the integrity of the cold chain is to have a data logger travelling with the goods.

What are the cold chain issues in New Zealand?

The latest news of cold chain issues within New Zealand stems from a published report revealing that a vaccine provider's accreditation had lapsed. In March, approximately 1500 vaccinations, based across two areas of New Zealand, were brought into question as the vaccine provider, Engage Safety Ltd (ESL), had not successfully stored the Pfizer vaccine at the correct temperature. The report found that the ESL's cold chain accreditation had actually expired in November 2021 and they hadn't confirmed an appointment until the following March. There were many discrepancies found within ESL's fridge monitoring over the previous two months, for example, the manual record of the fridge temperatures was missing before the date of the 4th of January and this missing record coincided with around 1500 Pfizer vaccinations, issued to combat Covid-19, distributed within two areas between the 1st of December and the 28th of January.

How Signatrol can help

Here at Signatrol, we provide an extensive range of calibrated data loggers, which could have been used to allow temperatures to always remain accurate and consistently monitored to meet the required conditions for the products. Our data loggers would detect unusual patterns in the temperature readings, sparking the need to investigate the conditions. Our data loggers have a wide array of various features that enable you to get the most accurate possible reading whilst ensuring accuracy consistency through our calibration service.

For more information about Signatrol, and our available data loggers to keep your pharmaceuticals, food, and chemicals in the correct conditions at all times, please visit our website for more information about our available range of data loggers.