A collaborative study by researchers from the University of Birmingham, the London South Bank University, and the International Institute of Refrigeration studied ideal temperatures for frozen food. The team found that keeping frozen food at -15 degrees Celsius instead of 18 degrees Celsius may significantly help reduce carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions.
DP World, a logistics company headquartered in Dubai, sponsored the study and has initiated a coalition called Move to -15 [degrees]. According to the findings, transporting and storing food at -15 Celsius could rid the atmosphere of up to 17.7 million metric tons of CO2 per year, equivalent to 3.8 million cars.
Keeping frozen foods at temperatures at least 1 degree colder requires additional energy of up to 3 percent. Therefore, increasing the temperature from -18 to -15 degrees Celsius could save up to 9 percent energy. The study also stated that it could contribute to supply chain cost cuts between 5 and 12 percent.
In addition to its positive impact on CO2 reduction, keeping frozen food at a slightly higher temperature could reduce food wastage by up to 12 percent. Most food wastage occurs due to a lack of cold storage facilities.
In a statement, the sustainability officer of DP World said the study could help industry stakeholders deploy storage technologies at sustainable temperatures while implementing greener standards that help decarbonize the logistics sector globally and achieve zero CO2 emissions by 2050.
