Nicola Twilley: How the fridge changed food

How the fridge changed food

What if your kitchen fridge is just the tip of an iceberg that's reshaping the world? Food storyteller Nicola Twilley reveals how the massive “artificial Arctic” we built to keep our food fresh is simultaneously melting the real one. She shows why we're at a critical moment to rethink our relationship with the cold chain and refrigeration — and explores the emerging technologies that could keep food fresh without putting the planet on thin ice.

Refrigeration stretches far beyond the kitchen, forming a vast 'artificial cryosphere' that keeps our food fresh but fuels global emissions. The cold chain behind supermarket avocados now rivals the scale of the Arctic and already accounts for up to 3 percent of worldwide greenhouse gases—on par with aviation. While refrigeration slashed food waste between farm and market, it has shifted waste to consumers and encouraged monoculture farming. With most of the world's cold chain yet to be built, new preservation technologies and smarter design offer a timely chance to balance freshness with planetary health.

Our Artificial Arctic Is Melting the Real One

Refrigeration built a global cold chain that keeps nearly three-quarters of modern food fresh, yet this artificial cryosphere already rivals the size of a new Arctic. Cooling food alone accounts for up to three percent of global emissions, more than aviation, while enabling avocados grown in Kenya to fill supermarket shelves in Amsterdam. The spread of fridges has brought huge gains in freshness and convenience but comes with hidden costs: shifting food waste from farms to households, draining water supplies, and accelerating climate change. Rethinking how and when society relies on refrigeration could help preserve freshness and protect the planet.