Modern society's system of food handling security is based in large part on cooling - i.e. ensuring that the product is stored and transported either chilled or frozen. Without this we would be much more dependent on local production – in effect a return to the pre-industrial conditions of traditional agrarian society.

Temperature controlled logistics is first and foremost a question of quality. After all, who would pay for a food product from an exotic country if its quality was not high?

In the 1990s, the market value of chilled and frozen foods sold annually in the EU to consumers, canteens and catering market amounted to no less than 1800 billion USD. This constitutes almost 25% of the total food market, and this estimate even excludes fruits, vegetables, dairy products and beverages.

Since then, the proportion of products chilled or frozen to preserve quality and freshness has only increased. This is true both for industrial and for developing countries. With growing global prosperity, consumption has increased 4 to 6% annually in the EU and the United States and, in some of the newly industrialised countries, growth has been well over 19%.