Environmental impacts of foods refrigeration

Perishable foodstuffs present a limited shelf life and a high sensitivity to the ambient temperature. To slow deterioration and to deliver safe and high-quality products to consumers, their processing and distribution from farm to fork should occur within a specified time in a chilled or frozen state. Food refrigeration has a significant impact on the environment, first of all, through direct emissions related to the eventual refrigerant leakages of refrigerants characterized by huge global warming potential and, second, indirectly through the emissions generated by nonrenewable energy consumption generated in power plants where fossil fuels are still primarily used. In recent years, significant progress has been made, for example, better system design and leakage sensing have been developed to reduce direct emissions. However, emissions are still relevant. Energy consumption is related to the temperature set during logistic activities, the storage time, and the behavior of the operators. Furthermore, the energy consumed for processing and storing foods then wasted throughout the supply chain is lost. The present chapter investigates how cold chains in the food sector contribute to environmental issues and to identify best practices that allow decreasing the environmental impact by lowering energy consumptions and quality losses. These best practices can belong to investments in more efficient technologies or the implementation of maintenance and operational practices as well as better coordination across actors of the chain.