Michael Costa

The need for speed has never been greater along the cold chain, as last-mile demands dictated by the continued rise of e-commerce has added to an already breakneck pace spurred by record sales and increased traffic for cold foods over the past 18 months.  Somewhere amid the rush to build new distribution hubs and cold storage spaces is the ubiquitous and often overlooked pallet. Without it, few of the products expedited to market would reach their destinations on time.

Tips and strategies for industrial site identification prior to building cold facilities, particularly since greenfield sites are in high demand today.

This is my last magazine as editor-in-chief of Refrigerated & Frozen Foods, since I am moving over to R&FF’s parent publication, FOOD ENGINEERING. I have truly enjoyed my time at R&FF reporting on all aspects the cold chain, while being fortunate enough to cover the industry during its unprecedented transformation that continues today.

St. Louis-based Louisa Foods—our 2021 Frozen Foods Processor of the Year—can trace its roots back almost 60 years, not to a food processing plant, but a single family-owned restaurant in the Gateway City.

Check out the latest meals and entrées in grocery freezercases today.

See what's new in x-ray, metal detection and vision inspection equipment for cold foods processors.

New machines to help cold foods processors increase efficiency and productivity.

Congratulations to the top-five winners in our 2021 Best New Refrigerated Retail Products Contest! These five companies pulled away from the other 25 nominated foods in online voting from August 3 to September 3, and will be honored with individual Q&As in our December magazine.

Fans of Shark Tank may recognize Kelsey Moreira from her 2019 appearance on the show to gain backing for her edible cookie dough company, Doughp. Even though she didn’t get a deal, Doughp is doing just fine without it. The brand’s direct-to-consumer (DTC) model has been a hit with consumers.

The facilities that produce, package, store, and distribute cold foods were truly essential in helping the supply chain satisfy record demand for those products during 2020, while the paradigm shift created by pandemic shopping habits—particularly e-commerce—is still being felt today. As a result, many design-build firms are busier than ever, as the need for cold storage space, plant expansions, facility renovations, fulfillment centers and distribution hubs has only increased.