Freeze drying is one of the latest trends in the sustainability world. Even though it's just now trending, the technology has been around for ages. You can find civilizations as far back as the ancient Incans using the freeze-drying method to preserve their food. Technology has made that process much more efficient but the bones of it stand. We just eliminated the part where you climb a mountain for items to freeze overnight.
A quick recap of freeze drying; Freeze drying is the act of removing water from a product by means of lyophilization. Much like other ways of preservation methods, freeze drying will extend the life of a product. Freeze drying is most popular amongst astronauts, military and outdoor travelers but it’s quickly growing amongst the candy world, pet food industry, homesteaders and preppers preparing for the end of time.
So, how much benefit will it really have in long term sustainability?
On a residential scale, continuous runs of many small batches result in energy in-efficiencies. However, if you are running your industrial large scale freeze dryer machines with larger capacities and creating more end products in smaller amounts of time, freeze drying can be extremely beneficial. Offering more opportunities for large quantities of food at one time.
There are billions of tons of wasted food every year. If you were to freeze dry even a portion of those items, you would offset the balance of energy to sustainability. Creating a better alternative to food waste. This would trickle down the chain, creating longer lasting foods which creates a lesser need for as much to be produced, which creates a shelf stable item that doesn’t need refrigeration which cuts back on energy costs for refrigeration. It then also cuts down on weight which cuts down on shipping costs and transportation needs (no cold storage, lighter packaging, more sustainable ways of shipments). If freeze drying was used in more facilities, creating products that would help reduce the issues across the board, sustainability could be achieved. The long-term change in the processing of foods and how they are distributed, such as produce, meats, dairy and more could change the world.
While there are many ways to support the earth, freeze drying could have a long-lasting impact on the planet, by reducing waste and increasing a way to get food to those who are without refrigeration, storage solutions or are in limited in transportation areas. This single handedly could solve the food crisis in the world, creating ready to eat meals and making food availability higher than ever before.
So, how much effect would freeze drying have on sustainability? The answer is clear, it would have a huge impact on the sustainability of the world.