The biggest challenges in global cold chains for perishable goods

The biggest challenges in global cold chains for perishable goods

Cooling chain structure and critical risk points

The logistics chain for perishable goods – such as fresh food, meat, fish, dairy, flowers and temperature-sensitive pharmaceuticals – encompasses multiple links: from production/harvesting and processing, through storage and transportation, to distribution and delivery to end user. Each link requires temperature-controlled storage or transport, often in a continuous process of pre-cooling, refrigerated transport, warehousing and last-mile distribution.

Moreover, in international flows, variation in infrastructure quality, energy availability, regulatory level and modality (sea, air, road, rail) plays a major role. In many emerging Markets, cold storage or transportation infrastructure is still limited, making exposure to ambient temperatures longer or controls less robust.

With perishable goods, thermal tolerance is often small: even short-term deviations of a few degrees can degrade quality, promote microbial growth or shorten shelf life. The risk of temperature excursions is therefore considerably higher than for ambient goods.

Challenge 1: Infrastructure and variation in global lanes

One of the biggest bottlenecks is infrastructure: refrigerated vehicles, plug-in points, storage facilities and segmented temperature zones are lacking in many international lanes. According to a report by UNEP and FAO, lack of effective refrigeration can result in the loss of 12% of total food production.

Moreover, long international routes often create longer dwell times in transshipment, customs, sorting and local distribution, increasing time out of controlled temperature condition. Inequality in infrastructure increases logistical vulnerability: a good chain in Europe already cannot accommodate a deviation from one route away.

Challenge 2: Thermal validation, traceability and standardization

To ensure service & quality expectations, companies must be able to demonstrate requirements such as temperature compliance, traceability and data quality. Standards such as EN 12830 define requirements for temperature recorders for transport and storage. In a global supply chain, it is crucial that temperature measurements are reproducible and auditable, especially for pharmaceuticals or high-value food products.

In addition, testing and qualification standardization of packages and transport is important. For example, packages must be validated to representative profiles (such as those of ISTA 7E for package networks) to ensure thermal performance under variable environmental conditions.

Challenge 3: Visualization and digitization of visibility

In global flows, visibility – who does what when and under what conditions – has become increasingly important. Real-time sensor data, combination of order and transport data, and monitoring of Estimated Time in Temperature (ETT) are increasingly becoming part of logistics. This is necessary to identify deviations early and implement corrective measures.

However: adoption of digital solutions in cold chains is uneven. Many regions lack standard data exchange, sensor infrastructure or even basic traceability. This limits overall chain performance and makes risk management more difficult.

Challenge 4: Sustainability, energy and material performance

The cold chain is energy intensive. According to UNEP/FAO reports, the food cold chain is responsible for about 4% of global greenhouse gas emissions, due in part to inefficiencies and product losses.

Materials for insulation and packaging, the use of refrigerants with high Global Warming Potential (GWP) and inefficient transportation contribute to environmental pressures. Companies are increasingly faced with sustainability measures in addition to quality and performance requirements. Integrating thermal efficiency with reusability or recyclable monomaterials is therefore a growing focus.

Challenge 5: Supply and demand volatility in perishable goods

Perishable goods are characterized by short shelf lives, seasonal supply, rapidly changing consumer preferences and international trade movements. According to a Maersk article, price increases, changing consumer behavior and higher input costs have led to significant uncertainties in supply and demand.

This volatility requires companies to build flexible chains with buffer capacities, modular packaging concepts and rapid switching of routes or transport modes. With temperature-sensitive flows, this flexibility is especially important, as any delay or detour can directly affect product quality.

Challenge 6: Regulation and compliance across borders

Global flows for perishable goods often cross multiple jurisdictions; each jurisdiction has its own rules for import/export, cold storage, labeling and validation. In pharmaceutical logistics, stricter requirements apply through GDP guidelines. Failure to comply with these rules can lead to customs delays, storage problems or recalls.

Companies must therefore set up process and documentation systems that comply with all relevant jurisdictions, and can often switch operationally between national standards.

Strategies for improvement

• Thermal risk analysis by lane: Map route-specific climate and process conditions, and set protection margins based on season and modality.
• Validated packaging solutions: choose insulation and phase change materials (PCMs) based on test data, qualified according to standard profiles.
• Sensor and data logging infrastructure.: implement recorders compliant with EN 12830, link data to logistics systems for real-time monitoring and alerting.
• Materials and energy efficiency.: Select monomaterials and reusable packaging solutions, and optimize routing and transit times to reduce CO₂ impacts.
• Flexible sourcing and penetration of near-sourcing: shorten chains and build local backup routes to reduce the impact of geopolitical or climate-related disruptions.
• Compliance management: establish documentation and audit processes for temperature-sensitive flows and train personnel in national and international regulations.