A study of waste in the cold food chain and opportunities for improvement
The EPA will issue a plan on Tuesday for the phase-out of ozone-depleting chemicals commonly used in refrigeration, portable fire extinguishers, and metal cleaners. The new final rule updates the Environmental Protection Agency’s most recent production and consumption schedule for hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs), which ran through 2019.
The long awaited report on the extent of Australia's food waste as it travels through the cold chain, prepared by the Expert Group, has just been released by its sponsors, the Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment and Refrigerants Australia.
While quantifying the extent and the costs of food waste in the cold chain, it also lists opportunities for improvement.
Estimates of food waste attributable to breaks and deficiencies in the cold food chain are provided for the first time. Preliminary and conservative estimates put the cost of food waste within the cold food chain at $3.8 billion at farm gate values.
Temperature abuse is cited as one of the main reasons for food wastage, with the greatest risks for perishable food occurring during transportation and handling between mobile and stationary refrigeration points. There are sometimes huge temperature variations between truck or trailer, loading docks and storage facilities.
