Of the total food produced for human consumption, an estimated 14 per cent is lost (Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations [FAO] 2019), and an estimated 17 per cent is wasted (UNEP 2021), costing the global economy an estimated $936 billion a year (FAO 2014a).

The lack of effective refrigeration is a leading contributor to this challenge, directly resulting in the loss of 526 million tons of food production, or 12 percent of the global total, in 2017 (International Institute of Refrigeration [IIF/IIR] 2021a). This is enough to feed an estimated 1 billion people in a world where currently 811 million people are hungry and 3 billion are unable to afford a healthy diet (FAO 2022).