The cold chain and food loss

Roughly a third of food produced globally is lost or wasted. In lower-income regions much of the loss happens soon after harvest; in wealthier ones more happens in shops and homes. In both, temperature control is one of the most powerful tools for keeping food edible.

Links in the chain

• Pre-cooling: removing field heat from produce within hours of harvest, often with forced air or hydro-cooling.
• Cold storage: walk-in cool rooms and freezers at farms, packhouses and food hubs.
• Refrigerated transport: reefer trucks and containers.
• Retail and food service: display cabinets, back-of-house cool rooms.
• The home fridge: the last, and often warmest, link.

Small producers and shared infrastructure

For a small farm, a modest cool room can extend the selling window of leafy greens from a day to a week. Shared cold storage at a food hub or market spreads that cost. Low-cost options such as insulated rooms cooled by a modified air conditioner controller have made on-farm cooling accessible to many growers.

Energy and refrigerants

Refrigeration uses significant electricity and some refrigerants are potent greenhouse gases. Good door seals, regular maintenance, sensible temperature set-points and the transition to lower-impact refrigerants reduce both cost and emissions.