GCCA applauds introduction of FRIDGE Act

The Global Cold Chain Alliance (GCCA) applauds the introduction of the Fortifying Refrigeration Infrastructure and Developing Global Exports (FRIDGE) Act in the House of Representatives and the Senate. The FRIDGE Act would add authority to the Trade Title of the Farm Bill to focus on strengthening the global food supply chain for frozen and refrigerated products.

“The GCCA strongly supports the FRIDGE Act and thanks Representatives Feenstra (R-IA), Mann (R-KS), Costa (D-CA) and Carbajal (D-CA); and Senators Banks (R-IN) and Fetterman (D-PA) for their leadership in introducing this important legislation. Given the current uncertainties with tariffs and trade agreements, developing new markets for U.S. products will be extremely important. One of the biggest barriers to increasing trade in emerging markets is the lack of cold chain capacity. The FRIDGE Act would strengthen the ability of these markets to safely and efficiently receive high-quality U.S. perishable commodities, creating new trade opportunities, improving food security and nutrition, and reducing food loss and waste,” said Sara Stickler, GCCA President and CEO.

According to the U.S. International Trade Administration, cold chain systems are crucial to the growth of global trade in perishable products and to the worldwide availability of food. Each year, billions of tons of perishable food products and millions of dollars’ worth of U.S. exports are lost due to poor cold chain systems in developing markets. Increased investments in cold chain capacity will also help to decrease the over 1 billion metric tons of global food waste created every year. Many of these losses result from a lack of proper facilities, improper food safety handling procedures, and insufficient training for those personnel working in the cold chain.

GCCA was a strong proponent of the original 2023 bipartisan introduction of the FRIDGE Act in the House and the Senate, which was subsequently included in both the House and Senate versions of the Farm Bill in 2024. GCCA appreciates the continued bipartisan commitment to strengthening the cold chain and recognizing its critical role in supply chain resilience and food security.