Europe’s increasingly extreme summers are exposing a new vulnerability in the food supply chain – from the fields where food is produced to the refrigeration systems responsible for keeping it fresh.

This summer has provided a stark illustration. Repeated heatwaves and prolonged drought across Europe have put crops under significant stress, while temperatures above 35°C have tested retailers’ ability to keep chilled and frozen food safe. For consumers, the consequences can be surprisingly visible: empty supermarket shelves, reduced availability of fresh produce and the prospect of higher food prices. But behind the immediate disruption lies a much bigger question: is Europe’s food infrastructure resilient enough for a warmer climate?

Extreme heat is hitting food production
Across Europe, agriculture is already feeling the effects of prolonged heat and water shortages. The European Commission’s Joint Research Centre reported in July that repeated heatwaves had shortened the grain-filling period of winter crops and brought harvests forward. Yield forecasts for spring and summer crops were also reduced, with grain maize and sunflowers among those most affected.

The food supply chain is therefore facing a double challenge: less food may be produced, while the food that is produced needs to be protected more carefully than ever. For consumers, the consequences could be significant, with reduced availability of certain foods, greater risk of shortages and rising prices as supply comes under increasing pressure.

The cold chain is another point of vulnerability
The journey from farm to fork does not end when crops are harvested. Fresh produce, meat, dairy, frozen food and prepared foods all depend on reliable temperature-controlled storage and distribution. If refrigeration fails, perfectly good food can rapidly become unsaleable or, in some circumstances, unsafe.

This summer, that risk has become highly visible in UK supermarkets. During June’s heatwave, supermarkets experienced refrigeration and freezer equipment problems, with reports of empty chilled and frozen food sections. Industry representatives said older refrigeration systems were particularly vulnerable because their ability to reject heat falls as outdoor temperatures rise.

The principle is straightforward: refrigeration systems have to remove heat from inside a store and reject it outside. As outdoor temperatures rise, the temperature difference available to reject that heat becomes smaller, placing greater demands on the refrigeration equipment. Systems designed around historical summer conditions can therefore operate closer to their limits precisely when they are needed most.

For retailers, this is no longer simply a question of energy efficiency or equipment maintenance. It is increasingly a question of food resilience.

Refrigeration designed for a hotter Europe
As the climate changes, refrigeration needs to change with it. For supermarket operators, that means looking beyond today’s average conditions and considering the extreme temperatures that equipment may increasingly have to withstand over its operating life.

As ambient temperature rises, refrigerant high-side pressure also increases. The design pressure is becoming increasingly important to ensure stable operation of refrigeration systems in high-ambient-temperature environments.

MHIAE’s Hyozan CO₂ condensing unit has been developed specifically for these more demanding conditions. Designed for high-temperature environments, Hyozan can operate in ambient temperatures up to 43°C, providing added resilience when refrigeration systems are exposed to the extreme heat increasingly experienced across Europe.

Hyozan also incorporates higher design pressure capabilities, with up to 80 bar on the low and medium-pressure side and 140 bar on the high side. These design pressures are particularly relevant to CO₂ refrigeration, where pressure increases as ambient temperatures rise. Technological advances over the past three to four years have enabled refrigeration systems to accommodate these higher pressures, helping them maintain performance under more demanding conditions.

If the pressure setting or allowable pressure range is insufficient for operating conditions, the system may need to reduce capacity or shut down to protect itself, potentially resulting in inadequate cooling performance when demand is highest. Hyozan’s higher-pressure design provides the headroom needed to accommodate the demanding conditions associated with high ambient temperatures.

The significance is not that the system simply operates continuously at these maximum pressures. Rather, it is engineered to safely accommodate the higher pressures associated with CO₂ refrigeration, including those encountered as ambient temperatures rise.

Reliability matters as much as temperature
High-ambient performance is only part of the resilience equation. A refrigeration system can handle extreme temperatures, but reliability also depends on maintaining compressor performance and avoiding failures that can put food at risk.

At the heart of Hyozan is what MHIAE describes as the world’s first inverter-driven two-stage scroll and rotary compressor. The system is designed to operate efficiently across both high and low cooling loads, helping it respond to changing refrigeration demand.

An integrated oil pod is another key feature. An oil level switch monitors oil levels and helps maintain the optimum amount of oil within the compressor system. By supporting consistent oil management, the technology is designed to improve compressor reliability and reduce the risk of failures and associated maintenance interventions.

For retailers, that reliability can directly affect food waste, business continuity and the bottom line. A refrigeration failure can mean products being removed from sale, emergency maintenance, disruption to store operations and, ultimately, perfectly good food being wasted – all creating unplanned and potentially significant costs for retailers. In an environment where agricultural production is already under pressure, protecting the food that does make it through the supply chain becomes increasingly important.

From energy efficiency to food resilience
The conversation around commercial refrigeration has traditionally focused heavily on efficiency, refrigerant choice and compliance. All remain important, but climate change is adding another consideration: resilience.

A refrigeration system that uses a low-GWP natural refrigerant, operates efficiently, and can withstand extreme ambient temperatures can support a retailer’s sustainability objectives while also protecting business continuity. Hyozan uses natural refrigerant CO₂ (R-744), combining the environmental advantages of a natural refrigerant with technology designed for demanding operating conditions.

Available in scalable 10HP and 20HP configurations, the system also offers flexible installation options and long refrigerant pipe runs, providing retailers with greater flexibility when upgrading or designing refrigeration infrastructure.

Preparing for the climate change risk ahead
There is little retailers can do to control the weather. They cannot prevent drought from affecting a harvest, stop temperatures from reaching 40°C or guarantee that every part of a global food supply chain will remain unaffected by extreme weather. What they can do is strengthen the infrastructure within their control. That means investing in cold-chain systems designed not for yesterday’s climate, but for the conditions retailers may face tomorrow.

As extreme weather puts increasing pressure on food production and availability, cold-chain resilience will become even more important. Protecting food after harvest is as critical as producing it in the first place, and refrigeration technology that can perform in extreme conditions plays an increasingly important role.

For retailers, future-proofing refrigeration is therefore about more than keeping food cold. It is about protecting food availability, reducing avoidable waste and maintaining continuity of supply when the climate is putting every part of the food chain under pressure.