New Report Highlights Importance of U.K Cold Chain

The U.K. Cold Chain Federation has published a new report, highlighting the “critical” importance of the cold chain to the country’s food supply, food safety and efforts to reduce food waste.

The publication is timed to coincide with the second World Refrigeration Day on June 26. “The theme of today’s World Refrigeration Day is the cold chain, so it is fitting that our new report showcases the value of our industry on this day of international interest,” said Shane Brennan, Cold Chain Federation Chief Executive.

The report details the contribution cold chain businesses make to the U.K. as major employers, leaders in technological innovation, and in tackling climate change.

“We work alongside our members day in and day out to make our industry’s voice heard, loud and clear, at both national and regional levels,” Brennan said. “This new report is designed to help everyone gain a fuller appreciation of what the cold chain does and why it matters so much.”

Another aim of the report is to assist in lobbying the political establishment in the U.K. “Knowledge is crucial to ensuring politicians and policy makers give our industry’s concerns and ideas the weight they deserve,” Brennan added.

“As the Cold Chain Federation takes the messages of our industry to Westminster and Whitehall, we are encouraging our members to use this new report to start a dialogue with their MPs and Local Enterprise Partnerships about why the cold chain matters to their local communities as well as to the nation as a whole.”

Some of the key points in the report include that the cold chain industry employs more than 20,000 people in the U.K., and that the frozen and chilled food industries have a combined annual value of almost £20 billion (US$24.75 billion).

The industry runs more than 30,000 refrigerated trailers and 40,000 refrigerated vans throughout the country. The Cold Chain Federation itself has 150 members, which together run 450 cold storage facilities.

Read the full report here.