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From Farm to Market: Why Cold-Chain Infrastructure Matters for Food Safety and Food Systems

  • 2 days ago
  • 4 min read

Food security is not only about producing enough food. It also depends on whether food can be safely stored, transported, and distributed as it moves from producers to markets and consumers.


This is particularly important for perishable commodities such as fresh fruits and vegetables, dairy, eggs, meat, and seafood. These foods are highly perishable and require reliable temperature-controlled infrastructure throughout the supply chain.


The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is highlighting the importance of this infrastructure through its 2026 Cold Chain Grants for Emergency Food Assistance (CCG) program. The program will provide approximately $7.5 million for cold-storage and distribution equipment to support food banks, food pantries and other emergency food assistance operations. The equipment is intended to improve their ability to provide high-quality meat, eggs, seafood, dairy, and fresh and minimally processed fruits and vegetables to vulnerable Americans.


While the program focuses on emergency food assistance in the United States, its broader lesson applies across food systems: cold-chain infrastructure is essential to moving perishable foods safely and efficiently from farm to market.


Different Commodities, Different Challenges

Not all food commodities face the same supply-chain challenges. Shelf-stable products such as grains and pulses can generally be stored and transported for longer periods without temperature-controlled environments. Fresh produce, meat, seafood, dairy and eggs are more time-sensitive and require careful handling to maintain quality and safety.


These challenges can affect businesses as well as consumers. When perishable products are lost before reaching markets, producers can lose potential income, and businesses can face additional costs. For consumers, supply-chain losses can reduce the availability of nutritious foods.


What U.S. Grocers Can Teach Us

Large grocery retailers provide examples of how cold-chain systems can support both food distribution and food recovery.


H-E-B's Hunger Relief Program has donated more than 1 billion pounds of food to food banks across Texas and Mexico since 1982. The retailer's donation program also allows stores to donate unsold perishables, while H-E-B has provided food banks with material-handling equipment, storage racks, and refrigeration systems.


Kroger reported donating 114 million pounds of surplus food in 2023, including food recovered from its stores, supply-chain facilities, and customer fulfillment centers. The company also reported that 100% of its stores participated in its Food Rescue program that year. Kroger's program focuses on recovering fresh, nutritious food, including produce, deli, and dairy products.


Walmart provides another example on an even larger scale. Since 2006, its network of Walmart stores, Sam's Clubs and distribution centers has provided more than 7.5 billion pounds of food to local Feeding America food banks. Walmart also supports efforts to strengthen the capacity of food banks to recover and distribute food.


Together, these examples demonstrate that food recovery is about more than having food available to donate. It requires systems capable of storing, transporting, and handling perishable products while they remain safe and usable.


From Cold Chain to Food Safety

The importance of cold-chain systems extends beyond food access. Maintaining appropriate temperatures throughout storage, transportation, and distribution is an important part of protecting the quality and safety of perishable foods.


The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) estimates that 526 million tonnes of food, or about 12% of the global total, are lost or wasted because of insufficient refrigeration. FAO notes that refrigeration, temperature monitoring and proper storage are critical to maintaining the quality, safety and shelf life of perishable foods from production through consumption.


These challenges can be particularly significant in developing countries and rural areas, where limited access to reliable electricity, refrigeration, and transportation can make maintaining an uninterrupted cold chain more difficult. For food producers and enterprises, these gaps can contribute to product losses, reduced market access, and lost income.


This is where cold-chain management connects directly to broader food-safety and business practices. Food Enterprise Solutions (FES) works with food businesses and enterprises to strengthen food safety, compliance and business practices. Through its Business Drivers for Food Safety (BD4FS) program, FES helps food enterprises identify food-safety risks and develop practical strategies that support both food safety and business performance.


The USDA's Cold Chain Grants offer one example of how investment in infrastructure can strengthen a critical link in the food system. Whether the goal is helping a U.S. food bank distribute fresh produce or helping a food enterprise reach new markets internationally, the underlying principle is the same: food safety and food security depend on what happens between the farm and the consumer.


Strengthening cold-chain infrastructure alongside strong food-safety and business practices can help more food reach its intended destination safely, efficiently and at the quality consumers expect.


For more information, visit us at www.foodsolutions.global or contact us at info@foodsolutions.global


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