About Our Food Waste Reduction Initiative
The Global Cold Chain Alliance is committed to reducing food loss and waste and increasing access to safe, quality food by forging a universally strong cold chain.
The Global Cold Chain Foundation's Food Loss and Waste Reduction program was inspired by GCCA members who worked with food banks and food rescue organizations in their communities.
Food waste is a global issue. The Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations (FAO) has estimated that 1.3 billion tons of food is wasted each year. The environmental impacts are also devastating. If food loss and waste were its own country, it would be the third worst greenhouse gas emitter behind the United States and China.
In 2022, GCCA conducted a Rapid Needs Assessment. This assessment included input from 20 organizations, including GCCA members and food rescue organizations. We learned that a lack of cold chain expertise was considered the number one challenge in food waste issues, followed by storage capacity and equipment. Based on this information, we generated 20+ recommendations for what the Alliance could do to help resolve these challenges.
GCCA partners with the Global FoodBanking Network and Feeding America to promote these efforts, as well as Advising Members.
Become a Member
The Global Cold Chain Alliance provides a structured platform for food banks, food pantries, and those working within the food redistribution/food rescue community to connect with the expertise and network of the perishable logistics industry.
GCCA offers free membership for these groups. This membership type enables:
- Access to resources on appropriate perishable commodity storage temperatures and handling, sanitary transportation, and warehouse and energy efficiency.
- Ability to ask questions to our Council of Scientific Advisors, a panel of experts covering all technical needs of the temperature control industry.
- Connection to the GCCA network of refrigerated warehouses, transportation assets, design build and refrigeration firms.
Advising Members:
To learn more about GCCA’s Food Waste Reduction Membership and Benefits, please contact Amanda Brondy, Vice President of International Projects, at abrondy@gcca.org.