How F-gases help to keep your food fresh

Frozen fruit and vegetables are chilled to low temperatures shortly after they are harvested, locking in their nutrients and making them a convenient and economical food choice for households across Europe.

Commercial freezing with strict temperature control is possible thanks to F-gases, which are the core substances used in the refrigeration process. F-gases are stable, non-flammable and non-toxic, meaning vegetables like peas (shown in the video above) can be safely harvested, blanched and frozen before they enter the supermarket supply chain.

F-gases work by refrigerating air, which is then blown onto the fresh produce, quickly reducing its core temperature. If this refrigeration process doesn’t happen soon after the fruit or veg is picked, the fresh produce continues to metabolise and will spoil very quickly, making it unfit for human consumption. But, if the food is frozen, it can be safely packaged and transported to supermarket storage centres across Europe, before making its way to supermarket freezers and then on to its final destination: the consumer dining table.

These cold chains rely on refrigerants containing F-gases, which are essential to prolonging the shelf life of fresh produce. Without them, hundreds of thousands of tonnes of fresh fruit and vegetables would go to waste every year.

This would be hugely damaging to the environment, as not only does the food use water, land and labour to produce, but also when the wasted food rots it releases harmful carbon dioxide back into the environment. Refrigerants containing F-gases are therefore integral to the cold food supply chain and the reduction of harmful food waste.