Transport of highly perishable foodstuffs under selected ATP Agreement requirements – key rules for temperature-controlled road transport.
Transport of Perishable Foodstuffs in Light of Selected Requirements of the ATP Agreement
By acceding to the ATP Agreement, the States Parties seek to contribute to maintaining the quality of transported food and the development of international trade in this area.
Agreement on the International Carriage of Perishable Foodstuffs and on the Special Equipment to be Used for such Carriage (ATP) was drawn up in Geneva on 1 September 1970. Since 1984, Poland has been a signatory to this Agreement. Since its entry into force, the ATP Agreement and its annexes have been regularly updated by the Working Party on the Transport of Perishable Foodstuffs of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe, known as WP.11. The version of the ATP Agreement of 11 November 201 The issuance of certificates of conformity and the performance of the relevant inspections are handled by testing stations designated or authorized by the competent authorities of the country in which the transport equipment is or is to be registered and entered into the register. The list of authorized ATP testing stations is available on the WP 11 working group website. The form template is included in Appendix 3 of said Annex. The currently valid certificate template is shown in Figure 1.
Measurement methods and quality control of insulation and efficiency of thermal appliances
A detailed description of the aforementioned tests is contained in Appendix 2 of Annex 1 of the Agreement. The basis for assessing the insulation quality control is the value of the overall heat transfer coefficient k, which is determined during testing. The Agreement provides for two methods of investigating this quantity: internal heating and internal cooling. In turn, the efficiency of thermal appliances of transport equipment determines the ability to achieve and maintain the temperature inside the thermally insulated transport equipment at the level of the temperature assigned for its class for at least 12 hours. This annex also specifies procedures for determining the cooling capacity of units used in transport equipment intended for the carriage of foodstuffs. Thermally insulated transport equipment in operation may obtain an ATP certificate again on simplified terms, based on the so-called "periodic inspection", carried out by an expert authorized by the ATP testing station. In the event of a positive inspection result, the ATP certificate with the previously established class may be extended for a maximum period of 3 years (Annex 1 Appendix 2, points 5.1; 5.2; 6.2 of the ATP Agreement). For mechanically refrigerated transport equipment manufactured after 2 January 2012, maximum permissible times for achieving the temperature inside the empty body intended for a given class have been specified, making them dependent on the external temperature.
The temperature inside the body must be measured at a minimum of two measurement points arranged as shown in the figure.
Temperature monitoring during the carriage of quick-frozen perishable foodstuffs
The 2011 ATP Agreement was supplemented with requirements concerning temperature monitoring during the carriage of quick-frozen foodstuffs. According to the latest requirements, the transport equipment should be equipped with an instrument enabling the measurement and recording of air temperature and the storage of this data for verification purposes. This instrument should be verified in accordance with standard PN-EN 13486 (Temperature recorders and thermometers for the transport, storage and distribution of chilled, frozen, deep-frozen/quick-frozen food and ice cream. Periodic verification) by an accredited body, and the documentation should be available for approval by the competent authorities. This instrument should comply with standard PN-EN 12830 (Temperature recorders for the transport, storage and distribution of chilled, frozen, deep-frozen/quick-frozen food and ice cream. Tests, performance, suitability). The obtained temperature records must be dated and stored for one year or longer, depending on the type of foodstuff carried.Summary
The provisions contained in the ATP Agreement specify in a broad scope the requirements for transport equipment and thermal conditions for carried products, as well as measurement methods and control of isothermal properties. In accordance with ATP requirements, every vehicle intended for the carriage of foodstuffs listed in the annexes to the Agreement should meet specific thermo-insulation requirements, and the refrigeration unit must ensure the reduction and maintenance of the temperature inside the body at the required level. The fundamental condition for the correct determination of thermo-insulation properties is the determination of the value of the overall heat transfer coefficient k. Testing and certification according to the ATP Agreement may be carried out exclusively by institutions authorized by the minister responsible for transport. The official document certifying the vehicle's compliance with ATP requirements is the certificate of conformity of the transport equipment, commonly referred to as the ATP certificate.AUTHORS:
- MSc Eng. Dorota NIEDOJADŁO,
- MSc Eng. Leszek BEDNARCZYK,
- MSc Eng. Bogdan SZCZEPAŃSKI
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