Running on Ice: A new way to keep food fresh

Jul 11, 2023

Hello, and welcome to the coolest community in freight! Here you’ll find the latest information on warehouse news, tech developments and all things reefer madness-related. I’m your controller of the thermostat, Mary O’Connell. Thanks for having me!

(Photo: Jim Allen/FreightWaves)

A new resale market is about to hit the cold chain. Carrier Transicold has launched the BluEdge Partner Program, which is a global reseller partner channel providing distribution of its refrigerated container telematics products and services. The goal is to create a global network of partners that can sell, install and commission the latest telematics technologies. The convenience of having support virtually anywhere is unparalleled by any other reefer manufacturer.

“The launch of our BluEdge Partner Program represents a key milestone in Carrier Transicold’s foray into the refrigerated container aftermarket telematics space,” said Tan Bor Yow, senior channel manager of BluEdge’s global container refrigeration for Carrier Transicold. “We are building a network of reseller partners in each geographical region and training and equipping them with industry-leading remote refrigeration monitoring products to serve this growing segment.”

(Photo: Business Wire/Ranpak)

Maker of eco-friendly packaging Ranpak has entered the cold chain arena. Ranpak has developed a paper-based thermal liner that keeps products within their ideal temperature range for up to 48 hours, while most importantly remaining recyclable and sustainable. The RecyCold climaliner can be used in various box sizes with multiple configurations all while maintaining cold temperatures, dramatically reducing food waste and improving cost and sustainability. Truly the best of everything, it keeps products at the correct temperature, can be used across multiple applications, can be recycled and is aesthetically pleasing for those unboxing videos.

Omar Asali, chairman and CEO of Ranpak, said in a news release, “The increase in shipping of temperature-controlled items increases the need for scalable and sustainable technologies. We are pleased to include climaliner among our growing portfolio of sustainable solutions to help our customers improve their supply chain performance, lower their labor costs, reduce food waste and meet their sustainability goals.”

(Photo: Jim Allen/FreightWaves)

The grocery store might change a little over the next few years, specifically in the freezer aisle. The global frozen food market is currently valued at $265 billion, according to CNBC. U.S. consumers have spent more than $72 billion on frozen food in 2022. With grocery costs rising and consumers looking to save a few dollars, frozen food and food preservation have grown in popularity. The target audience for the new frozen food offerings are, you guessed it, millennials, specifically millennials with children, as they are in need of quick fix and easy offerings due to their busy lifestyles. There is some concern that the rise of frozen foods will stress the cold chain, so we can go ahead and blame millennials for destroying that as well, like we’ve done with breakfast cereal and cable TV.

There are pet rescues, but what if we had food rescues? Cultivate Food Rescue has done just that. Indiana-based Cultivate takes food that will become waste and saves it. The food comes from banquet centers, catering, donations, anywhere that a prepared meal might be headed for a landfill. Once the food is donated to Cultivate, it repackages it into a microwave dinner-style package and sends it home with kids facing food insecurity. It serves over 7,200 meals a week to elementary schools. As a result of the company’s success, a 22,000-square-foot cold storage facility has been constructed in South Bend, Indiana. This expansion will help Cultivate reach more than 200 regional food pantries.

(SONAR Tickers: ROTVI.MEM, ROTRI.MEM)

This week’s cold market is Memphis, Tennessee. Memphis has seen a dramatic increase in reefer outbound tender rejections. Rejections have jumped to 30.07%, which means only 60% of all reefer loads that are getting tendered are getting accepted by the contracted carrier. I’m not a driver but if I was a reefer carrier looking to make some money on the spot market, I would absolutely be headed to Memphis. As for shippers, it’s not looking positive for contracted freight as carriers are flocking to the spot market. Expect to see some delays in pickups and higher transportation costs for the beginning of August.

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Jayud Global Logistics Limited Expands Operations, Adds Cold Storage and Dry Storage Capacity to Service Rising Demand

Wanna chat in the cooler? Shoot me an email with comments, questions or story ideas at [email protected].

See you on the internet.

Mary

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