Maersk technology reduces food wastage

It is estimated that, in Europe alone, a third of all produced food is going to waste globally, according to a recent study by the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO).

In a bid to help improve nutritional value and freshness of goods being transported, Maersk has developed a range of new products for the shipping industry.

“For shipping lines it’s important to control the temperature and environment, as well as to maintain good hygiene, as the reefer containers carrying the food are in frequent use with a number of different products,” Casper Jacobsen, sustainability coordinator, Maersk Container, told The Motorship.

Maersk’s QLiner provides an alternative material to aluminium or stainless steel for the inside of a reefer container to give it a smoother surface, making it easier to clean.

The company has also developed Star Cool CA and AV+ to control the atmospheric composition of gasses inside the reefer container and automate the insulation of the container, which it says are the key elements to ensuring food remains fresh.

“Waste occurs, for example, if a container misses a transhipment, which means the box stands still at a terminal with its cargo for a week or so. In this case, controlled atmosphere (CA) is important to limit the exposure to CO2,” Mr Jacobsen explained.

“Our theory is that waste particularly takes place in between the supply chain links when a cargo moves from one link to the next. This is what we will examine more closely with the UN, as this is where transport and logistics can do more to eliminate food loss,” he added.

Maersk says with its technology, the maximum number of days food can be transported for, which is traditionally 25 days, can be extended to 45 days.