All thawed out
Every year about a third of the food produced globally goes to waste, per the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organization. A new University of Michigan study concludes that nearly half of the food waste, about 620 million metric tons, could be eliminated by use of fully refrigerated food supply chains worldwide.
“I was surprised to find the scale of our opportunity for reducing food loss and waste globally,” said study lead author Aaron Friedman-Heiman, a master’s student at the university’s School for Environment and Sustainability and Ross School of Business. “Approximately half of the roughly 1.3 billion tons of food that goes to waste annually can be solved through food supply-chain optimization.”
The study estimates that poor cold-chain infrastructure could be responsible for up to 620 million metric tons of global food loss annually, resulting in emissions of 1.8 billion tons of carbon dioxide equivalents, equal to 28% of annual greenhouse gas emissions in the U.S. Improvements in warehousing and other aspects of the cold chain are crucial to reduce food waste.
Temperature checks
Another week, another big development in medium-duty trucks. GreenPower Motor Co. has unveiled the EV Start ReeferX, an all-electric, medium-duty delivery truck. The new truck is lighter, which allows more goods to be placed on the truck. And from a sanitation standpoint, because the interior wall is one unit, there are fewer seams, making it easier to clean. That is important, as the vehicle is designed for a variety of uses, from catering to pharmaceuticals.
The vehicle has a one-piece box design, which in addition to a more modern look is easy to repair and assemble. It also has multitemperature zones, reduced day-to-day upkeep and a range of up to 150 miles. In addition, it can hold 5,500 pounds and is customizable.
In a news release, Brendan Riley, president of GreenPower, said: “Through this offering, we are able to provide fleet owners a reliable way to deliver refrigerated and frozen goods on daily routes. Federal and state regulations continue to drive the rapid adoption of all-electric commercial vehicles. The global refrigerated trucks market size reached $9.8 billion in 2023, and is expected to reach $15.4 billion by 2032.”
Food and drug
Fun fact of the day: There is an award for the Best Frozen Dough. People magazine has chosen ¡Hola! Churros Double Twisted Bites as the winner of the 2024 PEOPLE Food Awards in that category. The product was launched nationwide in 2023 and can be found at most major grocers.
“We are delighted to be recognized as the best frozen dough for our ¡Hola! Churros Double Twisted Bites,” said Amanda Osorio, senior director of marketing – bakery at J&J Snack Foods in a Morning Star article. “Our J&J team strives to deliver delicious, consumer-preferred products like ¡Hola! Churros to our customers and consumers.”
Cold chain lanes
This week’s reefer market goes down south to Jacksonville, Florida. After a volatile May, June is off to a quieter start as rejections are staying below 6%, 5.26% to be precise. In contrast, May rejections hit nearly 10% on May 16. The Reefer Outbound Tender Reject Index has had hardly any change week over week, whereas the Reefer Outbound Tender Volume Index has increased 73.8% w/w. When volumes dramatically increase and rejections do not, it is a strong indicator that there is excess capacity in the market and spot rates don’t see an increase. The ROTRI at a national level is 7.18%, and Jacksonville is at 5.26%, further indicating that Jacksonville right now is not the place to be for spot market freight. Perhaps as produce season ramps up, things will change.
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Shelf life
White Castle Spices Up summer with Two Limited Time Only, All White Meat Chicken Ring Flavors
The ‘Chipotle 2024 Men’s Professional Basketball’ Promotion
ArcBest again trades volume for yield in Q2
FMCSA to host carrier-fitness meeting at Texas Trucking Show
Postal Service cautions pet owners after logging 5,800 dog bites in 2023
Wanna chat in the cooler? Shoot me an email with comments, questions or story ideas at moconnell@freightwaves.com.
See you on the internet.
Mary
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