ShareImproving cold chain infrastructure key to cutting world food waste
In a recent report, IMechE advises governments to prioritize support investment in cold chain infrastructure to improve food security, underpin development and help alleviate poverty.
In its “A tank of cold: cleantech leapfrog to a more food secure world” report, UK Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE) advises governments to prioritize support investment in cold chain infrastructure to improve food security, underpin development and help alleviate poverty.
IMechE stresses that “cold is the key to tackling the loss of perishable produce. In this regard, it is estimated that around a quarter of total food wastage in developing countries could be eliminated if these countries adopted the same level of refrigeration equipment as that in developed economies.”
These figures are in line with the IIR Informatory Note “The Role of Refrigeration in Worldwide Nutrition” (http://goo.gl/mVJLr2)
Other figures report up to 50% of fruit and vegetables are lost in Sub-Saharan Africa and India, while Tanzania sees 25% of all milk produced in the wet season end up as wastage and 97% of its meat sold warm having never been chilled.
For many developing communities in Sub-Saharan Africa and Asia, renewable energy resources are available in abundance. However, in many cases, renewable energy use for power generation requires energy storage technology to mitigate the intermittent and seasonal nature of some of these resources, such as sun and wind.
The report reviews a range of energy storage solutions for use in the context of a developing economy, notably cryogenic energy storage.
IMechE stresses that “cold is the key to tackling the loss of perishable produce. In this regard, it is estimated that around a quarter of total food wastage in developing countries could be eliminated if these countries adopted the same level of refrigeration equipment as that in developed economies.”
These figures are in line with the IIR Informatory Note “The Role of Refrigeration in Worldwide Nutrition” (http://goo.gl/mVJLr2)
Other figures report up to 50% of fruit and vegetables are lost in Sub-Saharan Africa and India, while Tanzania sees 25% of all milk produced in the wet season end up as wastage and 97% of its meat sold warm having never been chilled.
For many developing communities in Sub-Saharan Africa and Asia, renewable energy resources are available in abundance. However, in many cases, renewable energy use for power generation requires energy storage technology to mitigate the intermittent and seasonal nature of some of these resources, such as sun and wind.
The report reviews a range of energy storage solutions for use in the context of a developing economy, notably cryogenic energy storage.