Fast, reliable perishable shipping is the backbone of the food and flower businesses. The improvements in perishable logistics means sensitive products like seafood or exotic houseplants are handled and transported appropriately to maintain shipment integrity.

Failures along the cold chain, which can be catastrophic for small businesses, are at times due to improper documentation, labeling or poor packaging. The PCR has all the up-to-date, best-practice and guidance information you need to develop loss-minimizing perishable shipping processes.

What’s inside the PCR?​

  • Applicability (simplifying business and contractual considerations, shipper and carrier responsibilities, special conditions, compliance)
  • Government regulations (compliance, government regulations and laws, variations by country)
  • Carrier regulations (variations by carrier)
  • Perishable facts and types (types of perishables)
  • Packaging (air shipment requirements, package categories)
  • Perishables operations (quality and risk management, booking, acceptance, cargo and ground operations, delivery)
  • Documentation and labelling (waybill, cargo handling codes, captain notification, marking, labelling)
  • Traceability and tracking (general information, RFID)
  • Claims (types, how to inspect, how to study, check list)
  • CITES (guidelines for live plants, CITES parties, appendices, management authorities by country)
  • Air transport of cut flowers (maintaining quality in ornamentals, factors affecting post-harvest quality, post-harvest management, quality control, air transport logistics)

 

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Stay up-to-date

Significant Changes to the 25th edition (2026) of the IATA Perishable Cargo Regulations (PCR) include:

Acknowledgements

  • Updated memberships of the Live Animals and Perishables Board (LAPB) and the Perishable Cargo Working Group (PCWG)

1–Application of these Regulations

  • Introduction of recommendations for CBTA training for all personnel involved in the handling of perishable cargo (section 1.5)

3–Operator Variations

  • Amendments to Operator Variations for:
  • CX (Cathay Pacific)
  • EY (ETIHAD AIRWAYS)
  • FZ (FLYDUBAI)
  • KJ (Air Incheon)
  • LO (LOT Polish Airlines)

5–Perishable Shipments

  • Addition of an “Optional Special Handling Codes” column to the tables summarizing commodity requirements to support more precise logistics coordination.
  • Comprehensive revision of Section 5.2.1 Fruits and Vegetables and Section 5.2.4 Flowers, Tropical Flowers and Ornamentals to streamline content.

8–Packing

  • Addition of sustainability considerations for packaging procurement, to encourage environmental responsibility.
  • Comprehensive revision of packing requirements, including updated guidance on the use of EPS, leak-proof packaging, and dry ice for live seafood shipments.

12–Air Transport of Cut Flowers

  • Packing-related content has been streamlined by integrating it into Chapter 8.

Appendix G

  • The claims chapter has been moved to a new appendix and revised to streamline the claims process and clarify procedures.

Nomenclature

  • Cargo Handling Codes have been moved to the Nomenclature section.

Appendix H

  • Deletion of former Appendix H on general design requirements for thermal, insulated, and refrigerated containers.

Glossary

  • Addition of CBTA definition.
  • Update of Must, Should and May definitions.

Across these Regulations

To enhance clarity and consistency, the following adjustments will be implemented progressively over the next few editions:

  • Terminology Update: For better precision and coherence, any instances of shall will be replaced with must to ensure clear and definitive mandatory conformance.
  • Measurement System Standardization: The use of the imperial measurement system will be phased out and replaced with the metric system only, aligning with international standards and improving usability.