Under the epidemic, restoring the true picture of cold chain logistics

Recently, the incident of detecting the novel coronavirus on a salmon cutting board has swept across the country, attracting widespread social attention! For a time, information such as "salmon is toxic," "imported fresh food is toxic," and "wholesale markets are toxic" flooded major media platforms. 

At the same time, public attention to the cold chain logistics sector has been increasing day by day! Since the outbreak of the pandemic, cold chain logistics has remained a crucial part of ensuring residents' normal lives and combating the pandemic together! 

Although cold chain logistics is always around us, many people still do not fully understand it! During this special period, many doubts about cold chain logistics have also emerged. 

Amid the pandemic, cold chain logistics takes the lead! So, what exactly is cold chain logistics? Today, Jiahe Cold Chain will reveal the true nature of cold chain logistics!

Some misunderstandings need to be clarified.

Misunderstanding 1: Low-temperature environment ≠ Cold chain logistics

——"Cold chain logistics" caused the prolonged survival of the novel coronavirus.

——The virus's long-term survival is not due to "cold chain logistics," but possibly to a "low-temperature, humid environment"!

Misunderstanding 2: Low-temperature fresh food and related items ≠ Cold chain logistics

——The virus lurkscold chain logistics"

——The carrier of the virus is not "cold chain logistics," but possibly "fresh food products or related items in a low-temperature environment"!

Misunderstanding 3: Virus contact ≠ Cold chain logistics

——"Cold chain logistics" infects people and causes illness

——The cause of infection and illness is not "cold chain logistics," but possibly "direct contact with virus-carrying items"!

This is what real cold chain logistics is all about.

What is "Cold Chain Logistics"?

Cold Chain Logistics generally refers to a systematic project that ensures refrigerated and frozen foods remain within specified temperature-controlled environments throughout various stages—production, storage, transportation, sales, and pre-consumption—to guarantee food quality and minimize spoilage. It was established alongside advancements in science, technology, and refrigeration techniques, based on cryogenic technology and implemented through refrigeration methods.

Everything you love to eat is safeguarded by cold chain logistics!

The scope of cold chain logistics includes: primary agricultural products like vegetables, fruits, meat, poultry, and eggs; aquatic and floral products. Processed foods: frozen foods, packaged cooked meats (poultry, seafood, etc.), ice cream, dairy products, chocolate, and fast-food ingredients. Special commodities: pharmaceuticals. As such, it demands higher and more complex requirements than conventional room-temperature logistics systems, with significantly greater construction investments, making it a massive systematic project.

Cold chain logistics is the frontline defense for your taste buds!

In recent years, food safety incidents have been frequent in China, but cold chain logistics can effectively prevent food spoilage and ensure quality. It provides the most suitable temperature and humidity environments for transported, stored, and processed goods, inhibiting bacterial activity, reducing bacterial reproduction, and preserving product quality as much as possible.

Bacteria Tips:

In reality, food usually carries bacteria—not many, but some are noteworthy:

There are "opportunistic pathogens" like E. coli, harmless under normal conditions but problematic in large quantities.

Then there are "highly virulent pathogens" like Staphylococcus aureus and Salmonella, dangerous even in small amounts.

However, once these bacteria multiply excessively and are ingested, they can cause issues like cellular dysfunction, toxemia, and digestive symptoms such as abdominal pain, diarrhea, and vomiting.

Many factors affect bacterial growth, including food nutrients, pH, moisture content, and cooking methods, but the most universal factor is—temperature.

We all want to avoid unchecked bacterial growth, so let’s look at the least favorable temperatures:

Above 60°C, most bacteria cannot survive.

Below 4°C, bacterial growth slows significantly (though it doesn’t stop).

Between 4°C and 60°C, bacteria can proliferate rapidly, making this range the "danger zone" for food.

For example, 35°C to 37°C is precisely the human core body temperature (internal organ temperature), which also happens to be the optimal growth temperature for common foodborne pathogens such as Salmonella and Staphylococcus aureus. 

Once large quantities of Salmonella or Staphylococcus aureus enter your body, they can cause symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, fever, abdominal pain, and diarrhea. 

As seen from the above tips, low-temperature environments have a significant inhibitory effect on the growth of most bacteria. During the circulation of goods, cold chain logistics can ensure that food, fresh produce, pharmaceuticals, etc., are minimally affected by bacterial contamination, thereby safeguarding the quality and safety of the products!

Amid the pandemic, for you, cold chain logistics has always been on the front lines!

The importance of cold chain logistics is also reflected in these aspects.

In recent years, national-level policies and relevant departments have frequently introduced measures to support the development of the cold chain industry. In 2019, "cold chain logistics" was addressed in a meeting of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, which called for efforts to strengthen weak links in urban and rural cold chain logistics infrastructure. The No. 1 Central Document has mentioned the development of cold chain logistics for 15 consecutive years, and in 2020, it explicitly proposed the construction of national backbone cold chain bases. In short, judging by the level of national attention and industry trends, cold chain logistics has become an important means to promote consumption upgrading, drive poverty alleviation, accelerate rural industrial revitalization, and boost production area development.

Promoting Consumption Upgrading

With the improvement of China's economic level and consumption capacity, as well as the increasing development of fresh e-commerce, more and more high-quality seafood, dairy products, meat products, and fruits are making their way to people's dining tables. Consumers' consumption concepts are continuously upgrading, and they are willing to pay higher prices for a satisfying culinary experience. The quality of this experience largely depends on the effectiveness of cold chain logistics after placing an order. Once the cold chain is broken, it often leads to product spoilage, directly affecting consumers' repurchase intentions and making consumption upgrading impossible.

Accelerating Rural Revitalization

In the past, due to the incomplete cold chain logistics system within the first kilometer of production areas in China—such as the lack of pre-cooling facilities, field cold storage, production area cold chain markets, and low-temperature processing centers—large quantities of seasonal fruits and vegetables went unsold each year, unable to achieve staggered market entry or agricultural industrialization processing. This resulted in severe losses of agricultural products and resource waste. However, with the high attention from the national and local governments in recent years, the urban and rural cold chain logistics system has increasingly improved, effectively addressing the issue of agricultural product losses, enhancing the added value and brand effect of agricultural products, and helping farmers achieve steady income growth.

Driving Production Area Development

The development of cold chain logistics is related to the implementation of major strategic policies such as rural revitalization, targeted poverty alleviation, and industrial upgrading. The export of agricultural products and cold chain logistics transportation complement each other. With the continuous advancement of cold chain logistics technology, high-value off-season products and high-quality regional specialty agricultural products can increasingly circulate beyond their regions nationwide. The farther the distance, the higher the value of agricultural products, and cold chain transportation further promotes the expansion of sales channels, alleviating unsold situations. At the same time, end-to-end cold chain ensures that agricultural products remain in a temperature-controlled environment throughout transportation, guaranteeing safety and quality while reducing losses. Statistics show that the current loss rate using cold chain transportation is around 5%.

Policy Support to Jointly Promote the Sustainable Development of Cold Chain Logistics

In recent years, the government has placed high importance on cold chain logistics, with national-level policies guiding the healthy development of the cold chain logistics industry from multiple dimensions. Relevant policies mainly include the construction of cold chain bases, agricultural products, live pig transportation, pandemic work requirements, cold chain facilities, and other cold chain logistics-related content. Additionally, there are regulatory documents that specify requirements for venues, equipment, vehicles, and registration related to the sale and operation of refrigerated and frozen foods, further ensuring food safety. Among these, the mandatory standard "Hygienic Specifications for Food Cold Chain," jointly formulated by the National Health Commission and the China Federation of Logistics & Purchasing Cold Chain Committee, has completed the public consultation phase and will be released and implemented in 2020, marking the first mandatory standard in the cold chain logistics industry.

In the face of the pandemic, the cold chain logistics sector still needs to grow. 

Looking ahead, the cold chain logistics industry has vast opportunities. At present, the pandemic has also exposed many challenges that the sector must address, requiring attention and solutions from government departments, industry associations, and enterprises. 

1. Establish an emergency coordination mechanism to enable smoother cold chain transportation during the pandemic or other emergencies by implementing a transport whitelist. 

2. Designate organizations or enterprises with operational standards and management capabilities (e.g., scale, green passes) as regional leaders to temporarily form cold chain logistics teams, consolidating vehicle and driver resources for unified dispatch to resolve operational issues and ensure the supply of emergency goods like food. 

3. Due to discrepancies between local and national transportation policies—where local policies take precedence—strict restrictions on multi-province licensed vehicles in many regions severely hinder logistics recovery. It is recommended to develop a more comprehensive public information platform for timely policy updates, establish unified standards, and improve the efficiency of cold chain transportation for perishables like fruits and vegetables during emergencies. 

4. For safety in cold chain logistics, promote centralized management and unitized operations (e.g., full-pallet handling) to reduce personnel contact across processes. 

5. During the pandemic, issues such as truck shortages, lack of power plugs, and frozen container backlogs at ports led to increased costs and risks in refrigerated transport. While later alleviated, it is advisable to establish port emergency plans and safeguards. 

6. Conduct data backups, risk assessments, and map preparations in advance, along with regular emergency drills for preparedness. During crises, implement internal and external risk classification management. 

7. The pandemic has cultivated online consumption habits, with fresh food e-commerce platforms experiencing explosive growth. Strengthening supply chain collaboration with these platforms to build a more robust cold chain logistics system is a key consideration for industry players. 

8. Beyond business models, the real differentiator among cold chain logistics providers lies in supply chain capabilities and refined operations—both rooted in organizational and digital competencies. 

9. The pandemic presents opportunities amid challenges. The cold chain industry must leverage technology for end-to-end traceability, visibility, improved resource allocation, and more efficient emergency response mechanisms. 

10. The pandemic can integrate commerce and logistics, enabling joint marketing, green channels for producers, and optimized networks to assist in distributing surplus agricultural products. 

11. The crisis has exposed weaknesses in China's food supply chain and corporate shortcomings. Enterprises should seize this moment for improvement and reflection to offer more effective solutions to clients. 

12. More players entering fresh retail can accelerate professional talent development, stimulate innovation in products and services, and collectively advance upstream standardization, branding, and food safety in the industry.