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Economics, equity and the hidden cost of MAP

By Eamonn Ryan

As her talk progressed, Perm Mthethwa of the Agricultural Research Council’s Natural Resources and Engineering unit shifted from technical explanations to the economic and social implications of Modified Atmosphere Packaging (MAP). For the cold chain audience, she framed shelf life extension not as an end in itself, but as a lever for transforming farmer livelihoods and market access.Read More »Economics, equity and the hidden cost of MAP

From farm to fridge – Where MAP delivers the biggest benefits

By Eamonn Ryan

After explaining how Modified Atmosphere Packaging (MAP) works at a technical level, Perm Mthethwa from the Agricultural Research Council turned to where MAP is actually used and what benefits it delivers along the value chain. Speaking to cold chain stakeholders, she emphasised that MAP’s role is especially powerful for highly perishable and respiring products.Read More »From farm to fridge – Where MAP delivers the biggest benefits

Inside the MAP system – How gas and packaging work together

By Eamonn Ryan

Building on her introduction to Modified Atmosphere Packaging (MAP), Perm Mthethwa of the Agricultural Research Council’s Natural Resources and Engineering unit went on to demystify how a MAP system actually works. Her presentation, delivered to a cold chain audience, highlighted that MAP is not a single machine but a co-ordinated system of gas supply, mixing, control and packaging.Read More »Inside the MAP system – How gas and packaging work together

A new era for fresh produce – How MAP changes the rules

By Eamonn Ryan

In a world where food waste and post-harvest losses remain stubbornly high, especially in developing economies, technologies that can safely extend shelf life are more than just technical curiosities – they’re potential game changers. In a recent cold chain session, Perm Mthethwa, a researcher at the Agricultural Research Council’s Natural Resources and Engineering unit, presented on ‘Modified Atmosphere Packaging: A Game Changer for Fresh Produce’.Read More »A new era for fresh produce – How MAP changes the rules

R259bn infrastructure partnership could reshape Africa’s cold chain trade corridors

Reliable transport infrastructure is one of the biggest constraints on Africa’s cold chain. Every delay at a border, congested port or inefficient freight corridor increases energy costs, shortens product shelf life and raises the risk of temperature excursions for food, pharmaceuticals and other sensitive cargo. A new R259-billion partnership between South Africa and the African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) aims to tackle many of these structural bottlenecks, creating faster, more efficient trade routes that could significantly strengthen temperature-controlled logistics across the continent.Read More »R259bn infrastructure partnership could reshape Africa’s cold chain trade corridors

Structured data, integration and the AI-ready cold chain

By Eamonn Ryan

As the cold chain becomes more data-driven, the next frontier is integration – combining product-level temperature data with equipment telemetry, energy usage, and external events to build a truly intelligent system. Johan Ferreira, co-founder of Cold Cubed, describes how structuring data correctly unlocks these possibilities and prepares the cold chain for an AI-powered future.Read More »Structured data, integration and the AI-ready cold chain