Every export market has its own requirements and those requirements change over time. This article does not list specific thresholds country by country — that information has to come from official sources at the time you ship. Instead it sets out the groups of requirements you will typically meet and how to verify them properly.
Why you should not look up thresholds in an article
Food safety rules and storage condition requirements are updated regularly. A figure that was correct last year can be wrong this year, and the consequence of acting on out-of-date information is a consignment held at the destination port.
The only reliable sources are: the importer's requirements in writing, the relevant Vietnamese regulator, and the competent authority in the importing country. An article should only be used to know what questions to ask.
Group 1 — physical facility conditions
Almost every market cares about this group; they differ in how strict they are:
- Materials on surfaces in indirect contact with food — smooth, non-absorbent, easy to clean
- A layout that prevents cross-contamination between the raw material, processing and finished goods areas
- Pest and vermin control
- Drainage and wastewater treatment
- Changing rooms, hand washing and sanitising facilities for staff
Group 2 — temperature control and logging
This is the group most directly tied to the cold store, and where businesses most often come unstuck at assessment:
- The temperature threshold that applies to each product group — confirm it with the importer in writing
- How often readings are taken and how the data is stored
- Where the sensors are placed and the basis for choosing those positions
- Calibration records for the measuring equipment
- The procedure and records for dealing with an out-of-range event
- How long records must be retained — usually longer than a business expects
Read more about temperature logging equipment and HACCP requirements for cold stores.
Group 3 — management systems and certification
Many markets require the business to hold a certified food safety management system, most commonly HACCP or ISO 22000. Some large importers also require their own retail chain certification on top.
What to establish early: whether the requirement comes from the importing country's law or from the importer itself. These are two different sources, and the importer's requirements are usually stricter than the law.
Group 4 — facility registration and approval
Some markets require the processing facility to be registered or approved before goods may be imported. The process normally covers documentation on the physical facility and the management system, and may include an on-site audit.
This is the stage that takes the longest and should be started early — before the sales contract is signed.
Group 5 — traceability
- The ability to trace back from a finished batch to the incoming raw material
- Attaching storage condition data to each batch
- A product recall procedure for when it is needed
- How long traceability records must be retained
For the cold store, this requirement affects the layout and how goods are managed: you have to be able to establish which batch was where, for how long, and under what conditions. See How to arrange goods in cold storage.
How to verify the requirements properly
- Ask the importer to provide in writing the list of conditions they require, including storage conditions and the accompanying records
- Check against the relevant Vietnamese regulator for that product group
- Verify at the official source of the competent authority in the importing country
- Re-confirm before every major shipment, because the rules may have changed
- If you use an export consultant, ask them to confirm in writing rather than verbally
Preparing a cold store for export goods
Whatever the market, the cold store itself usually has to deliver the following:
- Holding the committed temperature threshold with high stability
- Continuous temperature monitoring and logging, with alarms
- Calibrated measuring equipment with records
- Materials and construction that meet hygiene requirements
- A layout that prevents cross-contamination
- Complete technical records and pressure equipment inspection records
- An unbroken cold chain through to the container or the delivery vehicle
Tân Long designs and builds the cold store to meet the points above, with the technical documentation needed for assessment. The management system documentation and facility registration remain the business's responsibility.
Frequently asked questions about cold storage for export goods
What temperature does an export cold store need?
There is no single figure that applies to every market and every product, and the rules change over time. The threshold that applies has to come from the importer's written requirement and from the official source of the competent authority, re-confirmed before every major shipment.
How do the importer's requirements differ from the importing country's law?
The law is the mandatory minimum. Importers, particularly large retail chains, usually set requirements stricter than the law. Establish early which source a requirement comes from so you prepare to the right level.
Which stage takes the longest?
Registering or getting the facility approved in markets that require it. The process normally covers documentation on the physical facility and the management system and may include an on-site audit — start it before the sales contract is signed.
How does the cold store affect traceability requirements?
You have to be able to establish which batch was where, for how long and under what conditions. That drives the layout, how goods are managed by batch, and how temperature data is attached to each batch.
What must the cold store deliver regardless of the destination market?
Holding the temperature threshold with high stability, continuous monitoring and logging with alarms, calibrated measuring equipment, materials that meet hygiene requirements, a layout that prevents cross-contamination, and complete technical records.
Why should you not look up thresholds in an article online?
Because the rules are updated regularly, a figure that was correct last year can be wrong this year. The consequence of acting on out-of-date information is a consignment held at the destination port.
Export goods leave no margin for temperature error. See the cold storage supply solutions Tân Long provides for processing plants.
Related pages
- What a HACCP-compliant cold store has to deliver
- What is ISO 22000?
- What is the FDA, and FDA standards in storage
- The cold chain and where it tends to break
- Seafood cold store solutions for export processing plants
- Cold store acceptance checklist
Doanh Nghiệp Đang Cần Khảo Sát, Nâng Cấp Hoặc Thiết Kế Mới Hệ Thống Lạnh Công Nghiệp?
Đội ngũ kỹ sư Cơ Điện Lạnh Tân Long với hơn 18 năm kinh nghiệm thực chiến chỉ đạo hơn 29 đại dự án quốc gia, cam kết tư vấn tính toán phụ tải nhiệt chuẩn xác, tối ưu hóa hệ số hiệu suất COP, chuyển dịch môi chất tự nhiên NH3/CO2 và tiết kiệm 20–30% chi phí điện năng vận hành.
Kỹ sư Nguyễn Toàn Thịnh (Giám đốc Kỹ thuật)
Hơn 18 năm kinh nghiệm thực chiến chỉ đạo tư vấn thiết kế và thi công hệ thống lạnh công nghiệp nặng, kho tự động ASRS và cấp đông IQF qua hơn 29 đại dự án quốc gia.
