Insufficient cold chains lead to food loss that could feed 950 million people

Growing demand for reliable cold chains to safely deliver much needed food and medicines to a rapidly increasing global population is a neglected focus in the green transition. Ahead of the Adaption & Agriculture Day at COP27 on November 12, Danish engineering company, Danfoss, calls for more investments in cold chain technology to contribute to food security by cutting food loss and waste and to reduce emissions.

With the world’s population expected to grow by nearly 2 billion people by 2050, investments in sustainable cold chain technology are urgently needed to ensure that we are able to feed the growing number of people on the planet. If food waste was a country, it would be the third largest emitter behind the US and China, contributing to up to 10% of the world’s greenhouse gases.

However, with a growing need for food production and cold chain development comes the risk of greater emissions from energy demand. A risk that can be mitigated if you ask Kristian Strand, President of Commercial Compressors at Danfoss:

“The crucial role of the cold chain is a global blind spot in climate change mitigation. A growing population will require more food, but we simply aren’t ready to handle that globally today.”

A significant 13% of all food produced globally is lost due to a lack of cold chains, the continuous series of refrigerated transport and storage that keeps food at the correct temperature. Unfortunately, cold chains are often underdeveloped and overlooked. This is particularly significant in developing countries where access to refrigeration is much lower than in developed countries. Yet, it is estimated that this lost food could feed 950 million people a year.