Feeding hungry people across the whole of New Zealand is not always easy.
Over the past month I have been watching the news on school lunch deliveries and thought about the logistics of sending tens of thousands of heated meals across every region, safely and on time every day.
It honestly gives me anxiety thinking about it. Time and temperature are everything in a ready meal and getting it there is not easy!
We send thousands of chilled meals across the country every week. Our meals are sent out in thermal-lined boxes with sheets of ice … a system which has been extensively tested to allow up to 36 hours for delivery before the chilled environment within begins to be compromised.
We track each package to ensure delivery of every box is safely made. At 10am each day, we receive a report from the courier company telling us where all our packages are.
At this point, 50% of the meals sent out the previous afternoon will have already been delivered, 35% are on board a courier, 10% are ready for the courier, and 5% are processing or have an issue. The lovely ladies in the office zero-in on this 5% and begin the process of enquiry with NZ Post, to find out where it is and when it will get there.
If a box does not reach its intended destination within the 36 hours, the depot machines or courier scanner tells the driver the item has expired and to dispose of the box.
Whilst it sends a pain to my heart that a box of food will be wasted and our customer will be inconvenienced, I am comforted that there is a mechanism in place to ensure our food is delivered safely, particularly for those who are vulnerable and may not remember the date they should have been delivered or be capable of judging by touch whether they are chilled.
When we know there is a problem, we contact the customer to apologise and arrange for a replacement to be sent.
There is no recourse for us to claim the delayed delivery from the courier. No courier will guarantee next day delivery, so we must accept this deal and manage the few unfortunate delays as efficiently as we can.
The good news is that more than 99% of our deliveries make it on time, which is a credit to NZ Post given the logistics of getting freight across the country.
It all depends on the transport trucks, planes, roading, weather, depot connections, sorting technology, depot staff, and individual couriers making the delivery … if one drops the ball or encounters a delay, everyone must pivot as the domino effect results in the non-delivery of someone’s dinner.
For chilled, fresh, delicious meals delivered to your door, you can rely on EAT.
Call the lovely ladies in the office on 0800 328333 or view our menu at your leisure at www.eat.co.nz.
