Will fresh food become a thing of the past?

12th August 2024

Discover how climate change impacts fresh food and how Thermo King’s innovations in cold chain management are ensuring a sustainable future for produce.

A rustic farm in southern Spain. Rows of ripe strawberries bask in the morning sun. The farmer, whose family has cultivated this land for generations, stands by, contemplating the effects of climate change on the growing season.

Unpredictable heatwaves and erratic rainfall patterns increasingly threaten the harvest, causing many of these strawberries to spoil before leaving the fields. The need for technical solutions to reduce food waste has never been more apparent.

According to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO),  roughly 1.3 billion tons of food is wasted annually. That’s 30% of all food produced going to waste. And with up to 37% of greenhouse gas emissions created by the food system, a staggering 10% of those emissions are due to food loss and waste alone.

In this challenging landscape, Thermo King stands at the forefront of the fight against food waste. However the problem is not just an environmental one, with 14% of food loss occurring before it reaches retailers, there is much work to be done by the entire food industry.

As a leader in sustainable cold chain management, Thermo King is pioneering solutions that extend the shelf life of fresh produce and significantly reduce the environmental impact of food transportation.

The aim? To sustain a future where fresh food remains accessible to all.

Food waste reduction at an EU level

In February 2024, Thermo King was invited to speak at a round table event at the European Parliament, titled “Advancing food loss technologies and policies”.

Hosted by MEP Rosa D’Amato (Greens/EFA), and organized by Competere in partnership with Trane Technologies, attendees included Schwarz Group, Copa Cogeca, Food&Drink Europe & Too Good to Go, among others. 

Speaking at the event, Thermo King EMEA President said:

“Our technologies offer a solution to not only prevent food loss but to do so using less energy—reducing emissions in the process.” Claudio Zanframundo

President, Thermo King EMEA

The urgent need for technology to play a vital part in an effective cold chain was clear. The cold chain: a temperature-controlled supply chain, is crucial in preserving the freshness and quality of perishable food items, from the point of origin to the consumer.

Two key priorities for the future emerged from the fruitful event:

• The need to dramatically accelerate the decarbonizing of the cold chain through electrification and the adoption of renewable power in transport refrigeration
• Significantly reducing food waste will be a joint effort, requiring industry leaders and policymakers to work together to effect real change

Cutting-edge products, cutting emissions

Thermo King has ambitious 2030 Sustainability Commitments, recognizing that their technologies play a critical role in supporting food loss reduction goals.

Some of these technologies include:

• AxlePower: A trailer-mounted smart energy recovery system that enables true zero-emission refrigeration. The ePower axle recovers energy that would otherwise be lost and stores it in the Energ—e pack, to be used to power the refrigeration unit without running its engine
• Advancer E: With engineless operations and high compatibility with alternative power sources, Advancer—e is the ideal choice to future-proof your fleet
• TracKing: An innovative, easy-to-use online platform that allows full visibility over a cargo’s condition in real time. Significantly reducing spoilage and missed delivery deadlines 

Thermo King’s commitment to sustainability is present in an ever-widening range of cooling solutions, regardless of the vehicle, technology or application.

From low GWP refrigerants used in marine reefer units to NRMM: Stage V compliant GreenTech™ engines present in all T-series trucks. The groundbreaking E-500e flagship model also leads the standard in full electric refrigeration for electric light commercial vehicles (eLCV), bringing sustainability to last-mile delivery and urban distribution.

Thermo King Dealer Network: Anytime, anywhere. Always there

Complementing a range of digital solutions is Thermo King’s smart services, such as a global dealer network with non-stop availability. With 500+ service points in 75 countries, Immediate help in most locations can be reached within 2 hours, greatly increasing vehicle uptime

Thermo King’s Dealer Service Network gives fleets access to unrivaled transport refrigeration capabilities. Each dealer is dedicated to delivering smart, proactive maintenance, consistent service quality, and rapid response times.

Keeping vehicles on the road means fewer disruptions in the cold chain, leading to less spoilage and reduced food waste.

The sustainable future of fresh food

Returning to the picturesque strawberry farm in southern Spain. While the farmer may not be free from the challenges posed by climate change anytime soon, at least she can be safe in the knowledge that her strawberries, once harvested, will reach markets across Europe in pristine condition.

As we move forward, Thermo King continues to lead the charge, inspiring confidence that fresh food will not become a thing of the past but a promise for the future. Embracing smart services and digital solutions, like AxlePower and TracKing, helps to extend the shelf life of perishable goods and significantly reduce food waste.,

In this way, we can ensure that vibrant, healthy produce, such as sweet Spanish strawberries, remain a vital part of our lives for generations to come, from farm to fork.