This warning follows a letter to retailers from independent grocers Nisa, claiming that the recent heatwave would cause disruption to frozen deliveries. As a result, the supplier would be prioritising frozen products on promotion and ice cubes.
Just weeks earlier, Booker Retail Partners (BRP), wholesale supplier to retailers under the Budgens and Londis brands, was forced to pause its frozen deliveries for three days in order to shield goods from high temperatures.
Matt Watson, temperature control specialist at Aggreko, said: “We have observed a spike in demand for industrial cooling applications, as suppliers attempt to bolster their cold chain against the hot weather. However, it’s important to recognise that this is not a short-term issue, with temperatures continuing to rise year-on-year.
“The disruptions to major retailers such as Nisa and BRP remind us that no one is immune to this challenge, and will only become more frequent. As such, it’s critical that the cold chain is strengthened in order to deal with the demands of an increasingly hot climate.”
Aggreko’s warning chimes with recent research from the MET Office off the back of July’s record-breaking temperatures, which indicated that climate change is causing episodes of extreme heat to become far more intense and widespread than previous heatwaves.
Aggreko provides a range of chiller hire options in order to help operators respond to seasonal demand, scheduled maintenance and cooling emergencies. The company stocks energy-efficient industrial chiller units from 50 kW to 1500kW, in order to help businesses of all sizes manage weather-related challenges effectively.
Mr Watson concluded: “As temperatures continue to rise, having contingency solutions in place is no longer a luxury, but a necessity. Doing so will lead to increased resilience for the cold chain and keep temperature-related disruption to a minimum. In turn, this will ensure that businesses are able to remain profitable well into the summer months.”