Brazil. In an article published in the International Journal of Refrigeration, Cirilo Seppi Bresolin gave an overview of the relevant aspects concerning the Brazilian cold chain, such as infrastructure, energy sources and expenditures, legislation and technology.
With respect to food consumption and production, the authors selected representative products to assess the cold chain and calculated Brazilian production and consumption for each of them. For example, Brazil produces approximately 24 million tons of frozen products per year, such as poultry, beef or pork products. Southern Brazil accounts for 45.3% of the country's total production for these products.
Brazil also produces 18.1 million tons of refrigerated products per year, including lettuce, potatoes, cabbages, oranges and melons, among other products. The southeastern region of Brazil is the largest producer of these crops, accounting for 70.7% of total production.
The annual production of soft refrigerated products such as pineapples, bananas or mangoes is estimated at 9.6 million tons, with the northeast region of Brazil contributing the most with 41.41% of total production.
Data on the consumption of light frozen, chilled or chilled products are also provided. They show that the southeast region is the largest consumer of all kinds of food.
Refrigerated storage capacity in Brazil in 2010 was approximately 5.71 million m3 with 95.05% available for rent. But this capacity has tripled in 5 years, reaching 16.05 million m3 in large facilities. The authors compared the annual growth rate of refrigerated volumetric capacity in different countries and found that Brazil showed the largest increase, with an increase of 29.5% between 2010 and 2014 (compared to 5.6% for India, the country showing the second highest annual growth rate). But there is still a shortfall in Brazil's refrigerated storage capacity estimated at 38.5 million m3.
In terms of transport, 61.8% of goods are transported by road, followed by 19.5% by rail, 13.8% by maritime transport and 4.9% by plane. The fleet of refrigerated vehicles is estimated at around 7,500 vehicles for internal distribution, 43% of which are long-haul logs and 57% short-range logs.
The issue of energy is a crucial factor in the cold chain, but there is a lack of data for Brazil. However, the authors found that electricity consumption for refrigeration processes was estimated at 24.5 Tj in 2014, compared to 0.15 Tj for gasoline. Based on the Energy Efficiency Index, a 12.2% decrease in electricity consumption was observed.
There is no unified legislation for the cold chain in Brazil, but government organizations help control its quality through ordinances or acts of resolution. Brazil is also subject to foreign legislation and is therefore obliged to maintain its cold chain with an adequate level of quality.
Source: International Refrigeration Institute.
