For the first time, the International Institute of Refrigeration (IIR) has published an Activity Report which emphasizes the essential role of refrigeration at the heart of the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

Sysco and Cargill, two of the world's largest food companies, announced a partnership with the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) that will help ranchers in Texas, Oklahoma, New Mexico, Kansas and Colorado tackle the impacts of climate change and improve grasslands and wildlife habitat by creating one of the largest sustainable beef cattle grazing efforts in the nation.

A look at what's trending in belts and conveyors for cold foods applications.

Two Lamb Weston Alexia brand frozen potato products will now use corn and potato starch in their packaging. The biodegradable bags are partially made of potato starches, a byproduct of producing French fries, and will be identified with a label on the front of the package indicating it is partially made from plants.

Sustainable strategies from two frozen food processors: Firestone Pacific Foods, and Must Love.

There is 75% less plastic in Veroni’s new charcuterie packaging. The Italian, family-owned cured meat producer has developed innovative, sustainable trays to preserve the freshness, aroma, and taste of the authentic Italian charcuterie the company has been importing in the US since 2016. Once having enjoyed the delicious Veroni’s Italian prosciutto, coppa, or mortadella, you can easily dispose of the packaging separately in the proper paper and plastic recycling bins.

We check in with BluNalu about the future of fish through cellular aquaculture, plus the company's recent progress toward launching its products for foodservice.

Process engineering group GEA and Israeli foodtech start-up Better Juice have joined forces to help beverage manufacturers produce healthier, lower-sugar fruit juice. Better Juice has developed a groundbreaking solution that naturally reduces the amount of sugar in fresh juice by up to 80 percent, without affecting its nutritional value or taste. GEA is now engineering the process technology the start-up needs, setting this innovative solution on course for industrial production.

Tribe Transportation is expanding its fleet with 111 new 53-foot trailers equipped with Carrier Transicold X4 7500 refrigeration units to help it meet demand in the fast-growing life sciences sector, which includes the transport of pharmaceutical products. The acquisition includes Carrier Transicold TRU-Mount solar panels, which help to maintain the charge of the refrigeration unit batteries. Additionally, Tribe acquired 100 Carrier Transicold ComfortPro diesel auxiliary power units (APUs) to help maintain cab climate control for its drivers.

As we wrote in our January magazine story about cold storage and ports, ALDI is building a distribution center near the Port of Mobile, in Loxley, Alabama. That facility has officially broken ground, and will be overseen by design-build firm A M King.