Food Cold Chain Market Report 2026

The food cold chain market size has grown strongly in recent years. It will grow from $215.95 billion in 2025 to $237.15 billion in 2026 at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 9.8%. The growth in the historic period can be attributed to expansion of frozen and processed food consumption, growth of organized food retail, increasing demand for year-round food availability, development of refrigerated transport infrastructure, rising food safety regulations.

The food cold chain market size is expected to see strong growth in the next few years. It will grow to $342.09 billion in 2030 at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 9.6%. The growth in the forecast period can be attributed to increasing growth of online grocery delivery, rising investments in cold storage infrastructure, expansion of pharmaceutical-grade cold chains for food, growing focus on carbon-neutral logistics, increasing adoption of smart cold chain technologies. Major trends in the forecast period include increasing deployment of iot-based temperature monitoring, rising demand for multi-temperature warehousing, growing adoption of energy-efficient refrigeration systems, expansion of last-mile cold chain logistics, enhanced focus on food safety compliance.

The growing preference for online grocery shopping is expected to propel the expansion of the food cold chain market. This shopping method involves purchasing perishable and ambient food items through websites or mobile applications for delivery or click-and-collect fulfillment. The move towards online grocery shopping is primarily driven by the time-saving convenience of doorstep delivery. This consumer shift generates a requirement for food cold chain systems, as maintaining consistent temperature control is key to preserving the freshness and safety of perishable products such as fruits, vegetables, dairy, and meat during storage, transport, and delivery. For example, in August 2025, according to the Singapore Department of Statistics, a government data portal in Singapore, the online share of supermarket and hypermarket sales increased during 2023 from 11.3 percent in January to 13.4 percent in February and 13.6 percent in March, illustrating a rise in electronic grocery engagement within the category. Consequently, the increasing preference for online grocery shopping is fueling the growth of the food cold chain market.

Key companies operating in the food cold chain market are concentrating on developing cold chain infrastructure to improve efficiency, decrease transit time, and guarantee the temperature controlled handling of perishable goods across the entire supply chain. Cold chain infrastructure is the organized system of temperature regulated storage facilities, transport equipment, and monitoring technologies that ensure perishable goods remain safe and fresh from production to final delivery. For instance, in July 2025, Maersk A S, a logistics company based in Denmark, launched its Integrated Packing and Cold Storage Hub in Olmos, Peru. The Olmos site functions as an advanced fruit logistics hub created to optimize the export operations of the region. It merges core logistics activities such as processing, cold storage, and depot warehousing within the global supply chain network of Maersk. The hub also provides additional services, including container depot management, inland refrigerated transport, and on site customs processing, to ensure a fully integrated and efficient customer experience.

In November 2023, Newcold B V, a cold chain logistics company based in the Netherlands, acquired E Karras Refrigerated Transport Pty Ltd for an undisclosed amount. Through this acquisition, Newcold B V intends to strengthen its integrated service offerings in Australia by merging its advanced warehousing capabilities with the expertise of Karras in refrigerated transport and logistics. E Karras Refrigerated Transport Pty Ltd is an Australia based provider of critical cold chain solutions for food and beverage products.

Major companies operating in the food cold chain market are DHL Supply Chain, DSV A/S, XPO Logistics Inc., Nichirei Logistics Group, Americold Logistics LLC, NewCold Advanced Cold Logistics, ColdEX Logistics Pvt. Ltd., Celcius Logistics Pvt. Ltd., Crystal Logistic Cool Chain Ltd., Rinac Pvt. Ltd., Interstate Cold Storage, Siddhi Cold Chain Pvt. Ltd., ColdStar Logistics Pvt. Ltd., ALC Cold Chain Logistics Pvt. Ltd., WareIQ Solutions Pvt. Ltd., Indicold Private Ltd., Reefer Express Pvt. Ltd., Arihant Cold Storage Pvt. Ltd., Godamwale Cold Storage Pvt. Ltd., Kaveri Cold Chain Logistics Pvt. Ltd.

North America was the largest region in the food cold chain market in 2025. Asia-Pacific is expected to be the fastest-growing region in the forecast period. The regions covered in the food cold chain market report are Asia-Pacific, South East Asia, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, North America, South America, Middle East and Africa. The countries covered in the food cold chain market report are Australia, Brazil, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Japan, Taiwan, Russia, South Korea, UK, USA, Italy, Spain, Canada.

The food cold chain market consists of revenues earned by entities by providing services such as inventory management, quality inspection, cross-docking operations, and product labeling. The market value includes the value of related goods sold by the service provider or included within the service offering. The food cold chain market also includes sales of refrigerated storage units, insulated containers, cold storage racks, thermal packaging materials, and refrigerated display cabinets. Values in this market are ‘factory gate’ values, that is the value of goods sold by the manufacturers or creators of the goods, whether to other entities (including downstream manufacturers, wholesalers, distributors and retailers) or directly to end customers. The value of goods in this market includes related services sold by the creators of the goods.

The market value is defined as the revenues that enterprises gain from the sale of goods and/or services within the specified market and geography through sales, grants, or donations in terms of the currency (in USD unless otherwise specified).

The revenues for a specified geography are consumption values that are revenues generated by organizations in the specified geography within the market, irrespective of where they are produced. It does not include revenues from resales along the supply chain, either further along the supply chain or as part of other products.

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