Optimization of cold chains can halve food waste

Almost a third of the food produced globally each year is wasted, while around 800 million people suffer from hunger, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). A new study from the University of Michigan concludes that nearly half of this food waste, approximately 620 million tons, can be prevented through fully refrigerated food supply chains.

Benefits of cold chains

Fully refrigerated chains can not only reduce food waste but also cut related greenhouse gas emissions by 41% globally, according to the study published in Environmental Research Letters. Sub-Saharan Africa and South and Southeast Asia have the greatest potential for reducing food losses and emissions through improved cold chains.

In South and Southeast Asia, an optimized cooling system can reduce food losses by 45% and emissions by 54%. For Sub-Saharan Africa, the potential is even greater, with possible reductions of 47% in food losses and 66% in emissions.

Local food supply

In addition to cold chains, the study shows that decentralized, less industrialized "farm-to-table" food supply chains can achieve similar savings. Aaron Friedman-Heiman, lead author of the study, highlights the importance of these findings. “Approximately half of the 1.3 billion tons of food wasted annually can be addressed through supply chain optimization.”

Regional differences

The greatest improvements in less industrialized economies lie between the farm and the consumer. In North America and Europe, however, most food waste occurs at the household level, so improvements in the cold chain will have less impact on total food waste. The study also emphasizes the significance of meat losses. While the amount of fruit and vegetable losses is higher in terms of weight, the climate-related emissions from meat losses are significantly greater due to the intensive greenhouse gas emissions from meat production.

The researchers developed an estimation tool to assess the impact of improved cold chains on food loss and emissions. This tool can be useful for everyone in the food supply chain, from farmers to supermarkets and government officials.

Investments in cold chain infrastructure must be prioritized to maximize the desired outcomes. Organizations aiming to combat hunger should focus on upgrades that achieve the greatest reductions in food loss, while those targeting climate change might concentrate on reducing meat losses.

Meat accounts for more than 50% of greenhouse gas emissions related to food loss, despite representing less than 10% of global food losses by weight. Optimized cooling of meat could result in a reduction of more than 43% of emissions associated with meat loss.

News.umich.edu