Nutraceuticals and food supplements for our well-being
Hippocrates said: “Let food be your medicine and your medicine be food” and today more than ever the principle of healthy eating regulates our behavior at the table.
In our diet, more and more attention is paid to the properties of food, but simply eating healthy is not enough to provide the body with all the principles it needs.
Thus were born new products able to do this: nutraceuticals and food supplements.
Nutraceuticals are food substances, they occur in nature and are already present in everyday nutrition. Their main prerogative is to guarantee a contribution of beneficial properties superior to other foods.
Nutraceuticals are very effective both for preventive purposes and as a complementary treatment for some pathologies. Their virtuous properties (present in different species of vegetables, fruit, legumes and other foods) are concentrated in capsules or pills, so that the patient takes enough quantities to be better.
These are not medicines, they are natural products with exceptional beneficial properties and being obtained from fruits, vegetables and other foods, they require specific quality and conservation processes to remain intact and effective.
Food supplements, on the other hand, as the name suggests, are used to add unforeseen or deficient beneficial substances in the daily diet.
They are found in the form of tablets, tablets, vials, available in pharmacies but also in supermarkets.
Like nutraceuticals, even supplements are not medicines: they do not cure but compensate for specific needs such as vitamins, fibers, mineral salts, and require adequate controls and processes to ensure the maintenance of their properties.
How to ensure the integrity and effectiveness of these precious substances
Food supplements and nutraceuticals constitute a concentrated source of nutrients and, as with food, must be produced, stored and transported according to strict rules that ensure their integrity and effectiveness to the consumer’s home.
Therefore their production and marketing must be subject to specific production and distribution criteria established by Italian and European regulations on food safety, hygiene and health regulations for food production, GMP and GDP, and information for consumers.
The production and packaging of food supplements and nutraceuticals must be carried out in establishments authorized by the Minister of Health.
As regards in particular the storage and transport of these products, the provisions recommend that a temperature range of 15 to 25 ° C is always respected. This interval in fact guarantees the perfect preservation of the product even in the hottest periods.
National legislation, in fact, recommends that the warehouses for the storage of raw materials and
food supplements, as well as the packaging materials, are distinct and separate, large, easy to clean and stored in suitable conditions of temperature and humidity.
The qualitative and quantitative specifications of all nutrients and substances with a nutritional and physiological effect must also remain unchanged for the entire life cycle of the product, until the expiry date indicated on the label.
Environmental conditions (temperature, humidity, oxygen, light) are factors capable of influencing the stability of the product. For this reason, temperature preservation both during storage and during transport are indispensable and critical elements for guaranteeing the quality of products in all stages of production and sale.
Transport and storage at controlled temperature
To ensure safety and quality during transport, it is necessary to check that the vehicles, load compartments and i
containers used are clean, sanitized and subjected to a continuous maintenance process.
If a temperature control is necessary, such as during the summer season, the means of transport must be able to keep the temperature of the products within the foreseen limits, usually between 15 and 25 ° C.
Transport workers must perform periodic checks of the correct temperature of the product upon loading through the use of data-loggers.
Recording of temperatures and documentation
It is necessary to demonstrate the correct transport temperature at all times using suitable recording tools. All documentation relating to measurements must be appropriately kept.
The temperature regulation and recording systems present on the vehicle must provide detailed information on the temperature trend and on the performance of the system during each handling section and during storage in the cold room at temperature
All documentation must be kept for at least three years from the last update.
The importance of choosing the right partner
We have seen how the role of the logistic partner is critical and strategic in the production and distribution of nutraceuticals and food supplements. These products require suitable logistic processes, which guarantee the constant maintenance of temperature and safety.
Aervaro is able to follow the entire logistics process, from storage to distribution in the sales channels, and is the ideal partner to ensure the safety and quality of nutraceuticals and food supplements.