Frozen food industry working to reduce carbon footprint

Supported by the Carbon Trust, the British Frozen Food Federation (BFFF) investigated the potential to reduce energy usage and CO2 emissions by managing operating temperatures more effectively, where appropriate, without reducing food quality or food safety. The 'Improving The Energy Efficiency of The Cold Chain' report notes that some frozen food manufacturers and cold store operators often keep their cold stores at a lower temperature than is necessary due to concerns that products will be exposed to warmer temperatures later in the supply chain. Eight key opportunities to improve cold chain efficiency were identified through the project. For instance raising cold store air temperature and suction pressure control by about 6ºC would give energy savings of over 15%. Similarly, if the evaporating temperature can be raised by 4ºC from -32 to -28ºC, a saving of about 11% can be achieved. The project examined cold store temperatures and refrigerant evaporating temperatures at participating manufacturers. These represented large, medium and small companies that manufacture a wide range of frozen food products from poultry and seafood to vegetables and ice cream. Brian Young, Director-General BFFF, commented: "BFFF wanted to not only emphasise the importance of energy savings and carbon reductions within the frozen food industry, but also to create cost saving opportunities for our membership. Together with the Carbon Trust, we believe this report is an important start to this process."