logo
episode-header-image
Mar 2024
18m 26s

How do you keep food cold?

Bbc World Service
About this episode

Up to 40% of food in Africa and India is wasted because of a lack of what's called "the cold chain" - the infrastructure keeping food chilled and fresh, from farm to fork.

Many small-scale farmers have no access to any kind of refrigeration, meaning they're losing income and wasting food that could otherwise be sold.

Devina Gupta meets the entrepreneur who is building pay-as-you-go solar powered cold rooms in India, and hears from farmers, traders and experts on how we can keep food cold as the population grows and the planet warms up.

(Picture: A farmer carries a crate of mangoes from an orchard on the outskirts of Bangalore. Credit: Getty Images)

Presenter: Devina Gupta Producer: Lexy O'Connor

Up next
Jul 30
Taking stock: China gains in the AI race
Is China rapidly catching up with the United States in the race to dominate artificial intelligence? Rahul Tandon is joined by Walter Todd in the US and Rebecca Choong Wilkins in Singapore to discuss, following a week of sharp moves in AI-related markets and growing questions ove ... Show More
24m 19s
Apr 2026
Headspace: from mindfulness app to military partner
Headspace started life as a mindfulness app. Now it's partnering with the US Navy and investing in artificial intelligence for mental health support.The company's CEO Tom Pickett speaks to us about therapy, the increasing role of technology, and tackling burnout at scale.If you'd ... Show More
17m 28s
Apr 2026
Anthropic: the $300bn AI firm at war with the White House
Anthropic’s rise from startup to one of the world’s leading players in artificial intelligence has been staggering, but so in recent weeks has been its row with the US Government.Today, we look at that journey to becoming a 380 billion dollar company, ask why Claude has become on ... Show More
17m 28s
Recommended Episodes
Oct 2017
Cold Chain
The global supply chain that keeps perishable goods at controlled temperatures has revolutionised the food industry. It widened our choice of food and improved our nutrition. It enabled the rise of the supermarket. And that, in turn, transformed the labour market: less need for f ... Show More
9m 23s
Sep 2025
How refrigeration took over the world
The next time you open your fridge, take a second to behold the miracles inside of it: Raspberries from California, butter from New Zealand, steak from Nebraska. None of that would have been remotely possible before the creation of the cold chain. The cold chain is the name for t ... Show More
23m 29s
Jul 2024
Is your refrigerator running?
Fridges are our go-to way of storing food, but they’re not good for the planet or even good for a lot of our food. Gastropod’s Nicola Twilley, author of a new book on refrigeration, says there are chiller options for our cold storage challenges. This episode was produced by Peter ... Show More
25m 39s
Dec 2021
Food waste: The solar dryer solution
A simple system for saving food and empowering women on the show today. Hundreds of millions of tonnes of food go to waste every year, much of it before it is even sold. This waste is bad for the planet, but also for farmers and consumers.A company in India has found an solution. ... Show More
24m 4s
Sep 2024
How to turn the tables on food waste | Dana Gunders
We waste a staggering one trillion dollars worth of food each year, significantly contributing to greenhouse gas emissions and the climate crisis. Food waste expert Dana Gunders shares innovative solutions to reduce waste — from solar-powered cold rooms to apps that sell discount ... Show More
12m 33s
Oct 2024
How to turn the tables on food waste | Dana Gunders
We waste a staggering one trillion dollars worth of food each year, significantly contributing to greenhouse gas emissions and the climate crisis. Food waste expert Dana Gunders shares innovative solutions to reduce waste — from solar-powered cold rooms to apps that sell discount ... Show More
12m 56s
May 2022
TED Climate: The future of the food ecosystem -- and the power of your plate | Ndidi Okonkwo Nwuneli
Many people across the world don't have access to healthy food -- while in other places tons of food go to waste. Social entrepreneur Ndidi Okonkwo Nwuneli thinks we can take bold steps to fix this problem. She lays out what it would take to build a more equitable, sustainable fo ... Show More
11m 24s
Aug 2025
The science of making fruits and veggies last longer | Jenny Du
It's a hard nut to crack: in order to prevent food waste, we rely on plastic packaging and refrigeration, which harm the environment. What if we could turn to nature to address these challenges? Engineer and chemist Jenny Du shares how a simple plant-based innovation — using the ... Show More
13m 32s
May 2022
The future of the food ecosystem -- and the power of your plate | Ndidi Okonkwo Nwuneli
Many people across the world don't have access to healthy food -- while in other places tons of food go to waste. Social entrepreneur Ndidi Okonkwo Nwuneli thinks we can take bold steps to fix this problem. She lays out what it would take to build a more equitable, sustainable fo ... Show More
11m 25s
Oct 2024
A food system that fights climate change — instead of causing it | Gonzalo Muñoz
Here's a wild stat: nearly one-third of the world's food production goes to waste each year, a major contributor to the climate crisis. Farmer and UN climate champion Gonzalo Muñoz sheds light on the international negotiations aimed at turning the food system into a climate solut ... Show More
9m 59s