5. Conclusion

Thanks to the progress made in understanding the effects of cold on the quality of fresh foodstuffs, the cold chain has become an established feature. It enables more and more people to have access to sufficient food to cover their basic nutritional needs in terms of quantity and quality, in conditions of safety, guaranteeing supply whatever the place and the season, and conditions of security, guaranteeing the wholesomeness of the food.

The time saved in the search for food and the greater variety of the latter have enabled mankind to expect to live longer, and to develop increasingly sophisticated cultures and civilizations. We now know that we are coming up against the ecological limits of our planet.

The cold chain reduces crop loss by 2/3, which is very significant given that crop production accounts for 50% of the ecological impact...