Celebrating Refrigeration Ceremony 2021

For this edition, participants were invited to join their peers, either online or on site at the Public Technical high school, Lycée Raspail, in Paris, France, to pay tribute to the accomplishments of the sector under the theme “Refrigeration at the Service of Health".

 

The event drew in professionals from key refrigeration stakeholders in France such as Uniclima, the French Heat Pump Association (AFPAC), and the French Association of Air Conditioning, Ventilation and Refrigeration Engineers and Technicians (AICVF).

 

Refrigeration at the Service of Health

 

During the ceremony, experts shared insight on the essential role that refrigeration plays in maintaining human health on a day-to-day basis such as for safeguarding the quality of foodstuffs, cryogenics or air conditioning, or in more particular cases such as for the use in cryomedicine or for vaccines; a global challenge today.

 

Gérald Cavalier, President of the IIR STC and of the AFF, opened the ceremony confirming that the recent pandemic had catapulted the field of refrigeration into the spotlight, and reminded us that “some Covid vaccines require temperatures as low as -90°C”, which without refrigeration, would not be possible.

The logistical challenges of the distribution of the over 10 billion vaccines pre-ordered worldwide give credence to the fact that the link between refrigeration and health is inseparable.

For this, a reliable cold chain is crucial, and Cold Chain Expertise Manager, Abbes Kacimi, shared his take on an optimum cold chain as one which is “efficient, economical and ecological”.

 

Today, no modern society can exist without refrigeration, and as is widely recognised by all across the globe, Director General of the IIR, Didier Coulomb, closed the ceremony reiterating that “refrigeration is life and health”.

 

 

The event “Les Vœux du Froid” 2021 was organised by ADC3R, AFCE, AFF, AFPAC, AICVF, Snefcca, Uniclima and the IIR.