You may think of cold storage facilities as just a big fridge/freezer that keeps your food fresh for supermarkets. But in actuality, cold storage facilities do a lot more for the safety of both you and the native Australian habitats.
Food Safety
We will start off with what cold storage is typically known for… keeping food fresh. Food must be kept in temperature-controlled environments due to the risk of diseases like salmonella and food poisoning. Warmer temperatures agitate bacteria and cause them to expedite the splitting process and so increasing the health risk.
If you are on holiday in a developing country, you are more likely to be afflicted with food poisoning due to the lack of health regulations regarding the storage of food and the absence of refrigeration facilities/ trucks. Luckily in Australia, there are numerous policies and procedures that must be complied with in order for food products to go anywhere near the shelf.
Quarantine Procedures
Insects pose a considerable risk to the stability of the Australian natural environment as they can disrupt the balance of both agriculture and horticulture systems. This includes, but is not limited to, destroying plant leaves, boring holes into stems of fruits, maize and sugar, and possibly having venom that can kill not just animals, but also humans. Furthermore, having these pests would increase the need for pesticides that can cause adverse effects on the environment and contribute to greenhouse gases.
Freezing treatment is used as a quarantine procedure in order to kill insects, larvae, or eggs on imported products such as grains and untreated wood due to insects not being able to survive in sub-zero temperatures, it also has no adverse effects on the products.
Pest/ Disease Control
The rapid growth in the population of wild pests in Australia has been a prominent issue for a number of years. From rabbits to toads to dingoes, they are not just an issue for the balance of Australian habitats, but it also causes problems for farmers as dingoes hunt livestock. Dingoes also pose the threat of spreading diseases not just to native and farm animals but also to humans, this is especially problematic when spread to remote aboriginal communities due to the lack of healthcare.
Dingoes who are captured and killed are frozen as soon as possible so research can be conducted to find and monitor the diseases they are carrying, it also stops the further growth of the virus.
Medication Stabilisation
Active chemicals in medications can become unstable when exposed to changing temperatures. Whilst most chemicals in medications are made in a way to be stable in room temperature conditions, for some more unstable medications, a colder temperature keeps the molecules from stimulating as much and so keeps its structure. Without cold storage, most medications would not be available for mass market distribution.
Across the country, cold storage facilities such as APF Cold Storage and Logistics are doing more than keeping food fresh, we help keep both you and the environment safe.
