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)

 

Still not sure if the PCR is for you? Download the full table of contents:

Stay up-to-date

Significant Changes and Amendments to the 26th edition (2027) of the IATA Perishable Cargo Regulations (PCR) include:

New Industry Insights

  • Special report: How Air Cargo Supports Global Trade Beyond Passengers – A Live Seafood Case.
  • New report: CEIV Fresh Insights: Key Findings and Trends for Continuous Improvement.

General Updates

  • Updated Cargo Services Resolution references and PCR training information.
  • Expanded introduction to better define stakeholder roles and responsibilities.
  • Updated LAPB and PCWG memberships.

Operator Variations

  • Operator Variations updated: China Airlines (CI) and Qatar Airways (QR).

Perishable Cargo

  • Clarified requirements for transporting live seafood and freshwater products, including applicable LAR and PCR provisions.
  • Quality and Risk Management chapter replaces the previous Chapter on the Air Transport of Flowers, which has been deleted as contents are now integrated into relevant parts of the IATA PCR.  

Compliance & Definitions

  • Added PLACI requirements and EU regulations for perishable commodities.
  • Updated glossary definitions and removed outdated terminology.
  • Continued transition to “must” terminology and use of the metric system instead of imperial measurements.