Food and beverage fulfillment for brands that can't afford spoiled inventory or a slow recall response
Most 3PLs treat perishable food like any other SKU. AMZ Prep runs food fulfillment and beverage fulfillment with real cold-chain storage across frozen, refrigerated, and ambient zones, lot and batch tracking, and FDA-registered facilities, all as standard, not an upcharge.
- Frozen, refrigerated, and ambient zones across 210,000+ sq ft
- Lot and batch tracking built into the WMS, for same-day recall response
- FDA-registered facilities with documented hazmat and meltable-safe handling
- Meltable Season Playbook for chocolate, gummies, and heat-sensitive products
Independently reviewed and certified
Food, beverage, and CPG brands running fulfillment through AMZ Prep
What happens when food and beverage fulfillment gets treated like a standard SKU
Most food and beverage logistics failures trace back to a common denominator: a warehouse built for boxes, not perishable and regulated products. Here's what that costs, and what changes at AMZ Prep.
Products spoil without real cold chain
A warehouse that calls itself "temperature-controlled" but only offers one ambient zone can't protect frozen or refrigerated goods. Spoilage shows up as a customer complaint, not a warehouse alert.
AMZ Prep: frozen, refrigerated, and ambient zones, standard →Expired stock ships anyway
Manual pick lists don't check expiry dates. Older lots sit behind newer ones until they ship past their date and become a return, or worse, a complaint.
AMZ Prep: FEFO routing enforced in the WMS →Recall response takes days
A food recall draws regulatory and public scrutiny fast. A warehouse without lot-level tracking can't tell you which orders shipped an affected batch, or how fast.
AMZ Prep: Same-day batch query, full ship list →Meltables lose Prime eligibility
Amazon restricts meltable products like chocolate and gummies from standard FBA every summer. Without a plan, your Prime badge disappears for months.
AMZ Prep: Meltable Season Playbook, published every year →Traceability documentation is missing
FSMA Section 204, the FDA's Food Traceability Rule, requires Key Data Elements tied to Critical Tracking Events for foods on the Food Traceability List. Generic 3PLs run on manual lot entry, not the system-enforced records a fast recall needs.
AMZ Prep: FDA-registered facilities, lot data on file →Q4 and seasonal capacity crunches
Holiday gifting and seasonal beverage demand spike hard. A single-warehouse 3PL runs out of cold storage space right when your orders peak.
AMZ Prep: 50+ locations, elastic capacity →Heavy, fragile cases blow up shipping costs
A 12-pack of cans runs 10 to 15 lbs before packaging; a case of glass bottles routinely exceeds 30 lbs. Dimensional weight rarely applies to beverages, actual weight does, and a leaking or broken case doesn't just lose a unit, it damages neighboring inventory and generates carrier claims.
AMZ Prep: Prep Parcel's carrier network and zone-skipping rates →Inbound receiving doesn't match what shipped
Inventory marked "received" that was never actually counted against the packing list is one of the most common trust breaks between brands and 3PLs. It surfaces weeks later as a phantom stockout or a missing SKU nobody can explain.
AMZ Prep: real-time inventory visibility through Navigate →How Born Simple cut logistics costs 63% moving into Amazon FBA
A real, confirmed result from AMZ Prep's Middle Mile network consolidating Born Simple's freight into Amazon fulfillment centers.
Real cold chain, not a single "temperature-controlled" label
Roughly 95% of the food produced in the US moves through cold storage 3PLs at some point, and most of them mean one ambient room when they say "temperature-controlled." AMZ Prep runs three distinct zones across 210,000+ sq ft: frozen at -18°C and below, refrigerated at 2°C to 8°C, and ambient at 15°C to 25°C, all within FDA-registered facilities.
Temperature precision is monitored to within 0.5°F with 24/7 automated alerts and backup power during outages, so a compressor failure gets caught before it becomes a spoiled pallet. Lot and batch data is captured at receiving and held at the unit level through Navigate, our warehouse platform, built in rather than bolted on as a special request.
- Frozen zone: -18°C and below
- Refrigerated zone: 2°C to 8°C
- Ambient zone: 15°C to 25°C
- Temperature precision monitored to within 0.5°F, 24/7
What food and beverage products AMZ Prep handles
Frozen, refrigerated, ambient, and heat-sensitive products all have different failure modes. Each gets handled by its actual requirements, not routed through a single generic storage process.
Frozen foods
Dedicated -18°C and below storage for frozen meals, meat, and prepared foods, with continuous monitoring and backup power.
Refrigerated and perishable
2°C to 8°C storage for perishable and short-shelf-life products, with FEFO rotation enforced automatically.
Ambient and shelf-stable
15°C to 25°C storage for shelf-stable snacks, dry goods, and pantry products, same lot tracking as perishables.
Beverages
Juices, functional drinks, kombucha, and non-alcoholic beverages stored across all three temperature zones, with FEFO rotation on short-shelf-life SKUs. Live-culture products like kombucha don't just spoil out of range, they lose potency while still looking fine on the shelf.
Alcohol and regulated beverages
3PL alcohol storage and shipping across temperature zones. Licensing carries state-specific requirements outside standard scope, your account team confirms what's supported for your product and shipping destinations.
Meltables and heat-sensitive
Chocolate, gummies, and heat-sensitive supplements handled in temperature-controlled storage, with a published Meltable Season Playbook for Amazon's seasonal FBA restrictions.
Supplements and nutraceuticals
CPG fulfillment for supplements and nutraceuticals: climate-controlled storage with FEFO lot tracking and expiry management, GMP-aligned handling for the crossover category.
Lot and batch tracking that's ready before you need it
A recall doesn't wait for you to build a tracking system. Every shipment is logged with a lot and batch number at receiving, held at the unit level through Navigate, and FEFO routing ships older stock before newer stock automatically. If a recall notice comes in, whether it's voluntary or FDA-mandated, AMZ Prep can produce a full ship list for the affected batch the same day, not after a manual warehouse search.
- Lot and batch number logged at receiving, tracked to unit level
- FEFO (first-expired-first-out) routing enforced automatically
- Same-day full ship list for any affected batch
- Documented FDA compliance procedures on file for every facility
Food and beverage brands rarely sell in one place
Shopify, Amazon, and retail all draw from the same stock, so you're never overselling one channel while sitting on dead inventory in another.
DTC (Shopify, WooCommerce)
Same-day order processing, temperature-controlled packing, and two-day shipping across the US and Canada.
Amazon FBA + Seller Fulfilled Prime
Full FBA prep, plus SFP coverage for meltables and seasonal items Amazon restricts from standard FBA.
Retail (Walmart, Costco, Target)
EDI integration, routing guides, ASN generation, and a dedicated retail compliance team. Chargebacks tracked and managed.
Wholesale and distributors
Pallet-level or case-level shipments for regional distributors, with EDI for major accounts.
What food and beverage brands actually need from a fulfillment partner
Evaluating a food and beverage 3PL comes down to what's standard versus what gets treated as a custom build or a limitation. Here's how AMZ Prep compares to a generic provider and to running fulfillment in-house.
| Capability | AMZ Prep (Food & Beverage 3PL) | Generic 3PL | In-House Fulfillment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cold chain storage | Frozen, refrigerated, and ambient, standard | Single ambient zone, if any | Limited by your own facility |
| Lot and batch tracking | Automated in the WMS | Manual | Depends on your systems |
| FEFO routing | Yes, enforced automatically | Rarely available | Manual process |
| Recall traceability | Same-day batch query | Hours to days | Depends on internal tracking |
| FDA-registered facilities | Yes, documented on file | Varies by provider | Your responsibility to maintain |
| Meltable-safe handling | Yes, published seasonal playbook | Rarely addressed | Manual planning required |
| Returns processing | End-to-end reverse logistics, batch-verified | Limited | Manual effort required |
| Network scale | 50+ locations, elastic capacity | 1 to 5 locations typical | 1 location, yours |
Specific commitments, not vague promises
Every one of these is checkable against your own shipments.
Real Cold Chain Storage
Frozen, refrigerated, and ambient zones with continuous temperature tracking to within 0.5°F, backup power during outages, verifiable against any shipment.
Automated FEFO Routing
Older lots ship before newer ones, automatically. Expired stock never reaches a pick list.
Inventory Protection Guarantee
Full insurance coverage on stored inventory. 24/7 security monitoring, climate control, and documented chain of custody at every facility.
99.8% Accuracy Commitment
99.8% order accuracy across all services. Every shipment scanned, verified, and audited before dispatch.
Related resources
Cold chain and lot tracking are only part of the picture. For retail compliance, freight into your warehouse, or the Meltable Season Playbook, see these related resources.
Food and beverage fulfillment questions, answered
Three zones: frozen at -18°C and below, refrigerated at 2°C to 8°C, and ambient at 15°C to 25°C, across 210,000+ sq ft of temperature-controlled space. Temperature precision is monitored to within 0.5°F with 24/7 automated alerts and backup power.
Four things: real cold-chain storage across frozen, refrigerated, and ambient zones, automated lot and batch tracking for fast recall response, FDA-registered facilities, and a provider that treats these as standard rather than a custom build. Food and beverage brands that get this wrong pay for it in spoiled inventory and slow recall response, not just a higher invoice.
Every shipment is logged with a lot and batch number at receiving. FEFO (first-expired-first-out) routing ships older stock before newer stock. If a recall notice comes in, AMZ Prep can produce a full ship list for that batch the same day.
Yes. Dedicated frozen (-18°C and below) and refrigerated (2°C to 8°C) zones are available alongside standard ambient storage, all within FDA-registered facilities.
AMZ Prep stores and ships beverages across all three temperature zones. The FDA regulates beverages at or under 0.5% ABV as conventional food; above that threshold, alcohol falls under separate TTB and state-specific licensing requirements outside AMZ Prep's standard scope. Talk to your account team about what's supported for your specific product and shipping destinations.
Yes. Chocolate, gummies, and heat-sensitive supplements are handled in temperature-controlled storage, and AMZ Prep publishes a Meltable Season Playbook for sellers managing Amazon's seasonal FBA meltable restrictions.
Minimums depend on product type, order volume, and the mix of FBA prep, DTC fulfillment, and retail distribution you need. Your account team confirms volume requirements during onboarding.
Yes. All food and beverage handling facilities are FDA-registered, with documented procedures for hazmat compliance, meltable-safe handling, and lot-level traceability on file.
Yes. AMZ Prep ships to the US, Canada, UK, Germany, and the Netherlands from regional warehouses. International returns, customs paperwork, and compliance are handled by the cross-border team.
Better fulfillment. Fresher delivery.
Onboarding for food and beverage brands includes cold-chain facility assignment, lot and batch data migration, FDA compliance review, and dedicated account management.
