Move to -15°C Coalition marked World Refrigeration Day

The Move to -15°C Coalition marked World Refrigeration Day by announcing its growth to 55 members, up from 11 at its launch eighteen months ago. The coalition, which promotes a shift in the frozen food supply chain’s temperature standard from -18°C to -15°C, convened in London last week to review research and coordinate strategy.

New members span the global cold chain and include IKEA, Aviko, Samworth Brothers, ZIM, Greenyard Frozen, Titan Containers, and the University of Oxford’s Energy and Power Group. The coalition aims to cut energy use and reduce emissions without compromising food safety, citing potential savings of 17.7 million metric tonnes of CO₂ annually—equivalent to the emissions of 3.8 million cars.

Research underpinning the initiative includes the “Three Degrees of Change” report and trials by Nomad Foods and Campden BRI. These studies found that microbial activity remains inactive below -12°C and that a shift to -15°C does not affect the quality of frozen foods across various categories.

To address real-world implementation challenges, the coalition is collaborating with FROSTEQ, a research initiative led by Wageningen Food & Biobased Research. The focus includes assessing the feasibility of the temperature shift across different supply chain segments.

In parallel, the coalition is also pursuing short-term measures such as optimizing temperatures within existing standards—for example, adjusting from -22°C to -18°C in certain operations.

Thomas Eskesen, Chair of the Move to -15°C Coalition, stated: “World Refrigeration Day is a moment to reflect on the value refrigeration brings to society. We are challenging ourselves to make it more efficient, equitable and climate-aligned. The case for change remains clear, including finding efficiencies within today's regulations.”

The coalition has received 20 international awards recognizing its approach to cross-sector collaboration and climate-focused innovation.