Cooling for food, nutrition and agriculture

This report examines the critical role of sustainable cooling and cold chains in reducing global food loss, improving nutrition, and supporting agricultural economies, particularly in low-income and high-impact countries.

• Food loss and waste have significant economic and environmental costs, with annual economic losses estimated at nearly USD 1 trillion. If food loss and waste were a country, it would be the third largest carbon emitter globally, producing over 3 billion tonnes of greenhouse gases.
• A lack of sustainable cold chains, including refrigeration and freezers, is directly responsible for the annual loss of 526 million tonnes of food production. This deficiency contributes to a 15 percent reduction in the income of smallholder farmers and prevents the feeding of an estimated 950 million people.
• Global food loss trends from 2010 to 2019 show an average annual increase of 3 percent, reaching 1.2 billion tonnes in 2019. This loss is primarily concentrated in Asia, South America, and Africa, with Asia holding the highest share at 48 percent.
• Among 54 high-impact countries for cooling access, more than 50 percent of perishable food losses occur in China, followed by India (17 percent), Pakistan (7 percent), and Brazil (6 percent). Per-capita losses are highest in the Dominican Republic and Peru, both exceeding 60 kg per person.
• Energy efficiency in food production varies widely among high-impact countries, ranging from 0.1 to 27.4 kg of food produced per kilowatt hour. Eight of the top 10 most energy-inefficient countries are located in Africa.
• Implementing cooling efficiency improvements, sustainable energy technology, and Kigali-compliant refrigerants could reduce current food losses by 55 percent and decrease cold chain emissions by 55 percent.
• Addressing cooling gaps presents a USD 270 billion investment opportunity in supply chain infrastructure and efficiency. Proposed solutions include National Cooling Action Plans (NCAP), Cooling as a Service (CaaS) models, and Community Cooling Hubs to help small-scale producers access technology.

APA

Sustainable Energy for All (2022). Cooling for food, nutrition and agriculture. https://www.seforall.org/chilling-prospects-2022/food-nutrition-and-agriculture#:~:text=Solutions%20for%20food%2C%20nutrition%20and%20agriculture,-The%20lack%20of&text=These%20could%20include%20specific%20agricultural,through%20an%20integrated%20energy%20plan.

Chicago

Sustainable Energy for All. Cooling for food, nutrition and agriculture. 2022. https://www.seforall.org/chilling-prospects-2022/food-nutrition-and-agriculture#:~:text=Solutions%20for%20food%2C%20nutrition%20and%20agriculture,-The%20lack%20of&text=These%20could%20include%20specific%20agricultural,through%20an%20integrated%20energy%20plan.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Sustainable Energy for All |title=Cooling for food, nutrition and agriculture |date=2022 |url=https://www.seforall.org/chilling-prospects-2022/food-nutrition-and-agriculture#:~:text=Solutions%20for%20food%2C%20nutrition%20and%20agriculture,-The%20lack%20of&text=These%20could%20include%20specific%20agricultural,through%20an%20integrated%20energy%20plan. |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{sustainableenergyforall2022cooling, author = {{Sustainable Energy for All}}, title = {{Cooling for food, nutrition and agriculture}}, institution = {Sustainable Energy for All}, year = {2022}, url = {https://www.seforall.org/chilling-prospects-2022/food-nutrition-and-agriculture#:~:text=Solutions%20for%20food%2C%20nutrition%20and%20agriculture,-The%20lack%20of&text=These%20could%20include%20specific%20agricultural,through%20an%20integrated%20energy%20plan.}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }