Minimum Temperature Rise Can Cut Frozen Food Emissions
“Frozen food standards have not been updated in almost a century, and they are long overdue for revision.”
– Maha AlQattan
Group chief sustainability officer
DP World
Most frozen food is transported and stored at -18°C (0°F), a standard that was set 93 years ago and has not changed since. Research now suggests that moving to -15°C (5°F) could make a significant environmental impact with no compromise on food safety or quality.
The experts, from the Paris-based International Institute of Refrigeration, the University of Birmingham, and London South Bank University, among others, found that the small change could:
- Save 17.7 million metric tons of CO2 per year, the equivalent annual emissions of 3.8 million cars annually;
- Create energy savings of around 25 terawatt-hours (TW/h), equivalent to 8.63% of the United Kingdom’s annual energy consumption; and
- Cut costs in the supply chain by at least 5% and in some areas by up to 12%.
The research was supported by the leading global logistics firm and principal partner in COP28, DP World, which has set up an industry-wide coalition to explore the feasibility of this change, named Join the Move to -15°C. This coalition aims to