What’s the sweetest holiday of them all? If you’re thinking Christmas, guess again! Halloween often takes the cake when it comes to indulging in savory goodies and all things sugar-coated, when supermarket displays are suddenly flooded with boxes upon boxes of treats. It really is nothing to cackle at: consumers are estimated to spend upwards of $10 billion on Halloween-related items and purchase 600 lbs. of candy this year on average.
Every season, manufacturers, distributors, and retailers must all brace themselves for the surge in demand and sharp deadlines, as the candy crush takes over the food and beverage supply chain. With short time windows of 2 months or less for production and delivery to stores, the slightest slip-up could result in frightening over- or undersupply woes that would make most confectionaries feel like they’ve landed in a waking business nightmare. Current constraints in the logistics industry only increase the scare factor during the rush to get Halloween inventory stocked in the right places at the right times.
Conjuring the Cold Chain
Raw ingredients like sugar are already under stress from current supply chain challenges, and the importance of preserving precious formed chocolate during the shipping process cannot be understated around Halloween time. To prevent melting or other damage to the product, temperature-controlled trailers and other equipment must be deployed, with the controls set in the sweet spot between 55F and 65F for transport.
Another staple of Halloween celebrations are pumpkins. Like chocolate, they are also highly perishable, and not everyone has the time to stop by their local farm to pick a potential Jack-o-Lantern straight from the soil. Therefore, pumpkins headed to the supermarkets are required to be shipped in containers with both temperature and humidity controls. They also must not be transported in the same container as other fruits and vegetables that create ethylene gas, such as avocados, apples, bananas, melons, peaches, and squashes. The gas produced from them can result in the pumpkins ripening too early and starting to rot.
There’s More to It Than Meets the Eye…
Now you have some idea about what it takes to get your favorite Halloween products into your hands before the spookiest night of the year arrives. Happy haunting!
The supply chain doesn’t have to be scary. Are you looking for the right solutions and team to help conquer your logistics needs? Contact Logic-ology today to find out more about our complete suite of logistics services available across North America!