Stop Food Loss to Counter Climate Change

Artificial refrigerant gases cause global warming... and so do decomposing gases from wasted food

India has the world’s largest footprint in cold stores. Recent estimates indicate that over the last few decades we have created 130 million cubic metres of refrigerated warehousing space. Most importantly, 97% of these happen to be users of natural refrigerant gases – in effect this is the world’s largest collection of users of ammonia based refrigeration. This is not a petty matter, as most of the developed world has cold stores that deploy artificial refrigerants. Unlike ammonia, these artificial fluids - Hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs) and Hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) - either caused Ozone depletion or are negatively impacting Global Warming.

In Europe alone, reports indicate that almost 50% of their food chain refrigeration is using such gases with a thousand times higher global warming potential (GWP) than CO2. Ammonia on the other hand, extensively used in India, has zero GWP.

Shelf life is not storage life

Holding period in a warehouse is opportunity lost.

Keeping food secure for long is not always a worthwhile achievement... making sure it arrives for gainful end-use is the real target. Aim to make sure you reach the consumer - get on the shelf!

FRESH PRODUCE FACTS

• Fresh fruit & vegetables are living tissue... even after harvest, they continue live and to breathe. This respiration produces carbon dioxide, water and heat and causes ageing or deterioration of quality.

• The rate of ageing of the produce is largely determined by its rate of respiration. Respiration and physiological activities can be slowed to minimise the rate and effects of ageing but respiration can never be completely stopped or the produce (fruit or vegetable) dies. 

• The rate of respiration is temperature dependent. Produce when kept cool will have a lower rate of respiration and lowered rate of deterioration.

Market for Fruits in India

India is viewed as a steady state consumption market, including for fruit produce…and it has lived up to this perception! Over the last 10 years, imports into India of apples, kiwis, pears, grape have seen phenomenal growth; not merely doubled or quadrupled, but more than 10 fold growth has been witnessed.

On the domestic front, Indian farms repeatedly break production records but one does not see a likewise increase in trade volumes from these domestic source points. What prevents our own produce from spanning the sub-continent and emulate the growth our imports have witnessed?

Is it that our consumers have a penchant for imported fruit, a specific flavor, a specific brand?