Ministry of Transport: Replacing "foam box + ice bag" with better cold chain services

“In the future, there will be better services to replace the ‘foam box + ice pack’ transportation method.” Zhang Dawei, deputy director-general and first-level inspector of the Comprehensive Planning Department of the Ministry of Transport, told a reporter from the China Business News.

On December 12, the General Office of the State Council issued the "14th Five-Year Plan for the Development of Cold Chain Logistics" (hereinafter referred to as the "Plan").

The Plan is the first five-year plan in the field of cold chain logistics in China, and it was issued as a State Council document. For the first time, from the strategic level of building a new development pattern, it makes a comprehensive and systematic deployment of the construction of a modern cold chain logistics system, putting forward a series of pragmatic, operable, and implementable specific measures, which has important "milestone" significance.

Cold storage equipment upgrade

Cold chain logistics connects the fields and the people's dining tables, safeguarding the "safety of the people's tongues" and life safety, which is an important livelihood issue. With the continuous improvement of people's living standards, the demand for cold chain services is growing rapidly, putting forward new and higher requirements for the development of cold chain logistics. Transportation is the basic link and important carrier of cold chain logistics, and it plays an important role in the development of cold chain logistics.

Data from the Ministry of Transport shows that during the "13th Five-Year Plan" period, the number of refrigerated trucks increased from 93,000 to 287,000, with an average annual growth rate of over 20%. In 2020 alone, 72,000 refrigerated trucks were added, an increase of 33.5%, the fastest growth in recent years.

Zhang Dawei said, "With the continuous development of railway refrigerated carriages, aviation refrigerated transfer boxes, refrigerated containers, and insulated boxes, the diverse needs of cold chain transportation are effectively met. The gradual improvement of cold chain transportation infrastructure and the continuous improvement of regulations and standards have created a good development environment for cold chain transportation."

Zhang Dawei said that in the future, "we will promote the improvement of cold chain logistics facilities in ports, airports, railway freight stations, and highway freight stations in a way that suits local conditions, and expand the functions of cold chain logistics services".

In addition, cold chain transportation technology and equipment will continue to be upgraded.

“We will promote the application of standardized turnover boxes, pallets, and other transport units, as well as refrigerated containers and cold storage boxes, to gradually replace cold storage and insulation methods such as ‘foam boxes + ice packs.’" Zhang Dawei said that this will be followed by "further research and improvement of the access conditions for cold chain transport vehicles, and the promotion of the installation of temperature monitoring equipment that meets standard requirements before vehicle delivery."

Development of cold chain direct flights and express lines

“Actively develop international cold chain direct flights and express lines, cold chain international trains, and international fresh produce charter flights to improve the service level of international cold chain transportation.” Zhang Dawei said.

The Ministry of Transport will also guide cold chain logistics enterprises to strengthen alliance cooperation with fruit and vegetable, aquatic product, and meat processing enterprises, and develop highway cold chain special lines, "fresh e-commerce + cold chain home delivery," and "central kitchen + ingredient cold chain delivery" models.

The Plan proposes the "National Cold Chain Food Traceability and Supervision System Construction Project." Relying on the existing national traceability management platform for imported cold chain food, it will gradually incorporate the circulation of domestic cold chain food into the traceability management scope, promote data exchange and information sharing between national, provincial platforms, and various market-oriented platforms, and build a national cold chain food traceability management platform by 2025, realizing a multi-level, multi-system, and cross-regional cold chain logistics traceability closed loop.

Zhang Jiangbo, deputy director-general of the Economic and Trade Department of the National Development and Reform Commission, said that the Plan specifically lists 12 columns and systematically proposes 21 projects to address specific issues. For example, to support the creation of a "321" cold chain logistics operation system, the Plan proposes the "Three-Level Cold Chain Logistics Node Construction Project," making arrangements for the construction of national backbone cold chain logistics bases, production and sales cold chain distribution centers, and the improvement of cold chain logistics facilities at both ends.