The future of frozen food: a Q&A with Dr. Sanjay Gummalla from AFFI

With nearly every household in the U.S. purchasing frozen food and $74 billion in sales, the frozen food category plays a central role in the industry. At the same time, companies are increasingly being asked by their supply chain customers, shareholders, executives and consumers to measure and reduce their environmental footprint. The Board of Directors of the American Frozen Food Institute (AFFI) has recognized in recent years that sustainability must be a strategic focus.

Dr. Sanjay Gummalla, Vice President for Scientific Affairs at AFFI, recently met with The Food Institute to discuss the future of frozen food.

The Food Institute: The term sustainability is very broad. How does frozen food fit into this?

Dr. Gummalla: “First and foremost, frozen foods are a natural solution to food waste and play a critical role in combating food waste at the consumer level. Nearly 40% of all food in the U.S. goes uneaten, valued at $444 billion. Per person, this equates to nearly 550 pounds of extra food per year. This has economic and environmental impacts—food waste is responsible for 58% of fugitive methane emissions in solid material landfills.

Unlike perishable foods, data shows that the longer shelf life of frozen foods allows consumers to prepare only the quantities they need and avoid unnecessary food waste due to spoilage. AFFI has a library of data that shows how frozen foods minimize food waste and the benefits this offers to consumers.

Beyond food waste, there are opportunities to better understand the energy impact of the frozen food sector and implement decarbonization strategies along the entire cold chain – from manufacturing to retail. AFFI works closely with its members to reduce the carbon footprint of frozen food processing.

You mention the issues of energy consumption and decarbonization. What exactly are AFFI members doing in this area and what role does AFFI itself play?

Reducing energy consumption and decarbonising are complex and strategic activities for any manufacturing sector and require an understanding of needs, requirements, opportunities and costs at plant and company level. There is a diversity of knowledge and skills in the frozen food sector, whether it is measuring energy consumption, calculating greenhouse gas emissions, investing in renewable energy sources or simply increasing operational efficiency in plants. For this reason, AFFI has taken the approach of meeting the needs of individual members and highlighting the collective potential of the supply chain to reduce the carbon footprint of frozen food.

For example, AFFI leads a membership group made up of leading minds in the frozen food industry. This group meets regularly to discuss relevant decarbonization priorities, share best practices and consider new initiatives on behalf of the industry. A key feature of the membership group is a commitment to pre-competitive engagement and the setting of company-specific targets to reduce energy and greenhouse gas emissions.

AFFI has also partnered with global climate consulting firm Guidehouse to offer our members the Supplier Leadership on Climate Transition (Supplier LOCT) training program. Supplier LOCT provides practical expertise in understanding carbon accounting protocols, particularly greenhouse gas emissions, setting reduction targets, carbon reduction strategies, and public disclosure and transparency mechanisms in carbon reporting. In fact, AFFI’s Board of Directors has approved strategic funding to subsidize members’ training registrations. Most importantly, these training opportunities build industry capacity in a new area. This data and science-based program provides professional development and educational opportunities to help frozen food companies advance their path to decarbonization.

What are the next big projects in this area? What does the future hold?

As previously mentioned, there is a collective potential across the supply chain to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the sector. The global supply chain and logistics partners are committed to rethinking the long-standing storage temperature standard of -18°C (0°F). AFFI, in partnership with the Global Cold Chain Alliance (GCCA), is leading a market initiative in the U.S. market to explore the feasibility of transitioning to a higher storage temperature for frozen foods using a systematic and science-based approach.

Theoretical calculations show that energy requirements can be significantly reduced by increasing the temperature of frozen food storage and distribution by just a few degrees. AFFI does not anticipate that such a temperature increase will raise food safety concerns. However, we need to better understand the impact on product quality, particularly across real-world distribution channels. These efforts will also likely lead to renewed interest in temperature monitoring and ensuring the temperature integrity of frozen food as it moves through the supply chain. These are important considerations, and AFFI is committed to working with all stakeholders in the frozen food supply chain – beyond its members – to further explore and understand future opportunities.

Overall, the sustainability profile of frozen food is an increasingly important issue for AFFI members, supply chain partners and other stakeholders, especially consumers. Whether a frozen food company is B2B or B2C, they face new demands and expectations. Companies should use AFFI’s resources now to prepare for the future by leveraging the important role of frozen food in reducing food waste or adapting frozen food facilities and distribution to reduce energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions.

About the author: Dr. Sanjay Gummalla is Senior Vice President of Scientific Affairs for the American Frozen Food Institute.

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