Logistics experts highlight the biggest cold chain developments of the past year, acknowledging that 2026 will bring multiple opportunities to optimize performance as new challenges arise.
The importance of the cold chain came into greater focus in 2025 as grocers and their trading and logistics partners made big capital investments in technology, physical operations and human resources in the pursuit of faster and more efficient flow of goods to customers.
Frozen & Refrigerated Buyer has rounded up a group of grocery supply chain and logistics experts to identify the biggest stories and developments of the past year and what they will mean for the frozen and refrigerated foods industry in 2026.
Their concerns run the gamut from geopolitical developments, government regulations and changing consumer behaviors to supply disruptions, data security and labor challenges. Automation, artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning and supply chain digitalization are also on the experts’ minds as are SKU rationalization, telematic tracking and capital expenditures. Climate change and sustainability also made several people’s lists of top stories.
EXPECT THE UNEXPECTED
“2025 reminded everyone how fragile systems can be. Cyber incidents and logistics disruptions exposed the need for stronger risk management and supply chain resilience. In a temperature-controlled world, even a short disruption can mean product loss, so companies are paying much closer attention to contingency planning." - Frank Hurst, executive vp of LTL, Echo Global Logistics, Chicago.
"The UNFI cyberattack and the Conagra supply chain disruption are probably the most notable recent examples of value leakage because of external factors by and large. The general theme for me for 2025 is twofold: (1) I think we are seeing a gradual shift in consumer preferences to optimize their budgets. Hence a bit of an increase in frozen sales as NFRA reports, and (2) characteristics of the frozen category place more emphasis on solving for resilience/speed/cost/quality. That was evidenced by an increase in investment to improve the supply chain." - Alex Kushnir, retail and consumer partner, Baringa, London.
IT’S POLITICAL
"Regulatory and macro-freight developments stood out as game changers for the frozen and refrigerated supply chain. First, the FMCSA (Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration) enforcement of CDL (Commercial Driver's License) issuance and renewal rules for non-domiciled drivers, combined with increased enforcement of English-language proficiency standards, will reduce the supply of available truck drivers. This will result in a highly competitive landscape for carriers to attract and retain their driver pool and will likely lead to increased driver rates, ultimately resulting in higher freight rates. Historically, increased regulations have triggered capacity tightening... Some carriers and drivers refuse loads into markets where regulatory enforcement are more prevalent. Even as volumes remain stagnant, we are seeing the cost of transportations to certain areas increase. The impact of driver attraction or regulatory removal of CDLs (industry estimates suggest as many as 5% of current CDL holders could be removed) will shift the supply and demand balance.” – John Gaudet, CTB, chief commercial officer, RSL Logistics, Glassboro, N.J.
“Increasing regulators for traceability and safety are prompting many frozen and refrigerated food companies to upgrade their technologies to improve tracking from farm to form. These technologies, including IoT-enables real-time monitoring, AI predictive analytics and smart packaging, are enabling traceability. Most importantly, data must be integrated, not siloed. For success, businesses need to integrate sensor and location data into ERP, TMS, and WMS systems to ensure end-to-end visibility.” – Jeff Potts, chief customer officer, AutoScheduler.AI, Franklin, Tenn.
“Recent corporate layoffs and concerns about SNAP benefits in the U.S. have made consumers more cautious than ever. Consequently, demand for dining at home has risen compared to eating out. However, the frozen food sector in grocery stores has limited capacity. To meet the needs of cost-conscious shoppers seeking value and products with a longer shelf life, consumers are turning to the frozen aisle – but they also want variety. In response, companies are diversifying their offerings with smaller portion sizes and a wider range of cousins to satisfy growing demand and broader flavor preferences.” – Tom Gregorchik, vp of industry strategy for grocery and CPG, Blue Yonder, Scottsdale, Ariz.
TECH AND MORE TECH
“The most important development overall has been, and will continue to be, the integration of artificial intelligence. One of the biggest hurdles in integration AI across any business has been the cleanliness and preparation of data used as inputs for models to analyze and support business needs. As companies focus on data preparation, AI can significantly improve supply and demand forecasting, helping throughout the entire food supply chain.: - Natalie Larson, manager strategic partnerships, U.S. Cold Storage, Camden, N.J.
The continued difficulty in recruiting and retaining workers in the cold chain space intensified the need for operational efficiency through automation, simulation and other technologies that enable supply chain network optimization.
"Simultaneously, significant advancements in automation, such as more flexible and viable robotic and intelligence systems, made these solutions more accessible and practical for grocery retailers and their logistics partners. This convergence of acute labor demand and improved technology positioned automation as the most impactful development shaping the industry’s supply chain and logistics landscape this year.” – Nick de Klerk, senior director and head of business operations North America, TMX Transform, South Melbourne, Australia.
“For years, yard operations sat between highly optimized warehouses and sophisticated transportation networks, but they operated with manual processes that created hidden fragility. This year made it clear that the yard is no longer a secondary function. It is a core control point for product integrity, service performance and cost management. Across the industry, we saw a surge in attention toward integrating yard workflows with food-safety requirements and warehouse intelligence. Grocery retailers began asking pointed questions about trailer dwell time, pre-cooling consistency, plug-in compliance and how yard congestion affects temperature integrity and OTIF (on-time in-full). At the same time, AU and automation started expanding outside the warehouse, helping operators improve gate throughput, trailer prioritization, dock sequencing and real-time coordination across the entire campus. We also saw a shift in how companies think about technology. Many realized that buying a yard management system alone does not solve the underlying issues. The real gains came from treating the yard as a strategic operation that combines technology, standardized process, operational expertise and shared accountability.” – Erin Mitchell, chief operating office, TMX Logistics, Kenosha, Wis.
“Companies that invest in flexible infrastructure, data-driven operations and customer-centric service models will be best positioned to lead. The cold chain must move food smarter, faster and more reliably to meet the needs of consumer and business demands. [This requires] advanced automation to manage complex inventory and increase throughput; real-time visibility into temperature, location, and shelf life across the supply chain; integrated partnerships between cold storage providers, transportation networks and retail systems to ensure seamless handoffs and reduced dwell time; [and] resilience planning to mitigate climate disruptions, labor shortages and geopolitical risks.” – Bryan Verbarendse, president, Americas, Americold, Atlanta.
CONSUMERS DRIVE CHANGE
“2025 was really a turning point for the cold chain. The biggest story, in my view, was how much investment went into expanding refrigerated warehousing and distribution capacity. Everyone from retailers to third-party logistics providers was racing to build out infrastructure that could handle growing frozen and refrigerated volumes. With more consumers shopping online for groceries and expecting home delivery of temperature-sensitive items, companies needed more reliable, local cold storage and last-mile capability. “ – Frank Hust, Echo Global Logistics.
“Demand for more convenient food is boosting frozen food sales. Retailers such as Amazon are expanding same-day and next-day delivery to include not only perishables but also frozen foods. This trend requires grocers to balance this ultra-fast fulfillment with cold-chain integrity.” – Jeff Potts, AutoScheduler.AI.
This article was originally published in Frozen & Refrigerated Buyer on December 3, 2025.
