New IIR Informatory Note on the carbon footprint of the cold chain

The IIR has just issued a new Informatory Note on the carbon footprint of the cold chain. It highlights the food safety and environmental benefits of an improved global cold chain.
 
According to IIR estimates, 12% of food produced globally in 2017 was lost due to an insufficient cold chain. A more extensive cold chain would limit the need to increase agricultural production to compensate for these losses and avoid the corresponding CO2 emissions. This raises the question of whether the additional CO2 emissions resulting from the implementation of a more extensive cold chain are not greater than the emissions avoided by reducing food losses due to a lack of refrigeration.