Access to safe, reliable food and essential pharmaceuticals is often taken for granted across the UK. Yet behind supermarkets, restaurants, foodbanks, hospitals, schools and home deliveries sits a critical system that keeps perishable products moving safely every day: the cold chain. From refrigerated storage and distribution to temperature-controlled transport, the cold chain underpins national food resilience, public health and economic stability. Despite this, its role within UK resilience and security planning remains significantly under-recognised. The Cold Chain Federation’s Critical Link white paper sets out why stronger recognition of the cold chain is essential for protecting the UK food supply and resilience, the growing risks facing the sector and presents ten urgent recommendations to strengthen national preparedness, resilience and long-term food security.
This article was first published in the August 1st 2026 issue of Warehouse & Logistics News, subscribe to the magazine by clicking here.
Paragon Logistics has increased its cold storage capacity at its Greenford facility, adding both chilled and frozen storage space to support growing demand across the food, retail and pharmaceutical sectors. As summer temperatures rise, maintaining product integrity becomes even more critical, with heat placing additional pressure on cold chain operations and reducing the margin for error for perishable foods and temperature-sensitive medicines. The expanded facility provides customers with greater capacity during the busy summer period and positions Paragon to support demand through the Q4 peak season, when cold storage availability tightens and parcel volumes are forecast to reach 1.29 billion between October and December.
Signatrol has launched the tempmate®-GS2+, a single-use real-time tracker and data logger designed to help food manufacturers maintain cold chain integrity. The device provides comprehensive monitoring of product location, temperature, relative humidity and movement throughout the supply chain, while also recording environmental conditions including humidity, light exposure, tilt and shock. Combining multiple monitoring functions within a single, user-friendly system, the tempmate®-GS2+ operates across an extended temperature range of -200°C to +100°C, making it suitable for a wide variety of cold chain applications.
Cold chain storage and distribution have never been more demanding on the operator. Wi-Fi loggers and Bluetooth thermometers can be used to provide real-time visibility, connecting with smart monitoring software that displays and analyses long-term trends. Issues that once occurred in isolation soon reveal themselves as part of a pattern, making it much easier to identify their root causes, says Jason Webb, Managing Director, Electronic Temperature Instruments (ETI).
To safeguard its homecare pharmacy deliveries and nationwide distribution, TCD Medical has partnered with Thermo King®, a leader in transport temperature control solutions and a brand of Trane Technologies. Facing the challenge of delivering small-volume pharmaceuticals under strict temperature conditions, the company has added Thermo King ColdCube™ units to its fleet. These containers provide accurate heating, cooling, and freezing for medicines and, importantly, can operate on the van’s battery even during a vehicle breakdown.
Without a resilient and functioning cold chain, disruption to food supply can rapidly impact availability, affordability and access to essential products, particularly for vulnerable communities.
George Simpson
Features Editor
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