As we begin 2025, temperature-controlled logistics has been the crucial interconnector of the frozen food industry for a century. Today, cold storage and refrigerated transport operators in Europe are working with growers, producers, processors, manufacturers, ports, wholesalers and retailers throughout the EU and around the world. By Julie Hanson, director for Europe of the Global Cold Chain Alliance
The European cold chain is highly effective and successful. As the lynchpin for the frozen and chilled food industries – as well as pharmaceutical and other temperature-sensitive products – the temperature-controlled logistics network is key to ensuring product quality and safety and enabling international trade. It supports a food sector that contributes EUR800bn to the European economy annually.
Cold storage and transportation services also ensure huge reductions in the EU’s food waste, most visibly when compared with regions which have nascent or non-existent cold chains where up to 40% of perishable food can be wasted before it reaches the consumer. In Europe temperature-controlled storage and distribution is central to food availability and affordability, enables far better returns for farmers, growers and producers, and enables the major environmental benefits of this vast reduction in food waste.
A tendency remains for temperature-controlled logistics operations and their value to be overlooked in Europe, as it is in much of the developed world. However post-pandemic, the industry’s vital contributions are considerably more recognised and appreciated by Europe’s governments and consumers alike. The cold chain in the EU is growing, with both regional and global businesses investing in expansion, new sites, facilities and fleets.
The industry has transformed over the past decade as new technologies and approaches have emerged, developed and become widely adopted. As we begin 2025, modern cold chains are highly efficient. Buildings, fleets and operations consume less electricity and fuel: we have seen major increases in the use of renewable energy, and transportation companies are making game-changing investments into the use of renewable fuels, electrification, and engine efficiency both for the vehicle engine and the refrigeration technology on the vehicle. Cold storage equipment has become smarter and systems more integrated, and the skills within the cold chain workforce have both widened and specialized according to this evolution.
A strong partnership
Another striking aspect of the cold chain in Europe as we move into 2025 is the strong relationships between temperature-controlled logistics operators and their frozen food supply chain partners.
This has been a feature of the cold chain for many years but in the past five years strong relationships allowing for resilience, flexibility, bespoke solutions and collaborative future planning have been even more crucial as supply chains have navigated the disruptions of changing trading relationships, the Covid pandemic, geo-political unrest, global economic uncertainty and extreme weather events.
These features of today’s cold chain in Europe have created a robust platform for the future in which temperature-controlled logistics can make vital contributions as the world navigates fast-changing populations, the impacts of a warming world, the transition to green energy and the adoption of emerging technologies. However, the cold chain, and the frozen food industry as a whole, faces some serious challenges that must be addressed in order that European consumers, businesses and governments can continue reaping those benefits from the frozen food supply chain that we have all come to expect.
A key challenge is the cold chain’s relationship with energy and associated infrastructure. The industry has made great strides in energy efficiency but, in its nature, the cold chain relies on a secure, consistent, affordable energy supply and recent energy crises have highlighted the vulnerabilities of the existing European energy systems. In the immediate term, Governments across Europe must ensure that there is a clear prioritisation of food and pharmaceutical supply chain infrastructure in crisis planning for future energy shocks.
Longer-term, as Europe continues the transition to renewable energy generation, cold store facilities are often already well situated to invest in on-site renewable energy technology. However, gaining access to necessary grid connections and challenges in securing necessary regulatory and construction permissions can be frustrating blockers. Governments must ensure that cold chain operators are incentivised to invest in renewable energy generation and smart grid integration, and that the right grid infrastructure is in place to enable this contribution to the energy transition.
To read the entire article, please access your complimentary e-copy of Frozen Food Europe January-February, 2025 issue here.