Freezer Temperature Modification Project company information, Employees & Contact Information

Ontario’s food industry regulations, set by the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care, dictates that frozen foods held by commercial establishments must be stored at a temperature of -18 degrees Celsius or lower. Considering that frozen food poses no safety risk, the modern cold chain system (ie. the production, freezing, storage, and transportation of food) is much improved, and commercial establishments are holding food for shorter periods, this freezer temperature set-point was found to be lower than necessary. In late 2014, James Alden of Brickworks Communications, a leader in the energy efficiency industry, wrote an opinion piece for Business Energy Magazine, titled “Frozen is Frozen: Why Freezer Temperature Standards Need Re-examining”. In this piece, he postulated that the current temperature set-point policy could be modified, offering savings for business, energy benefits, and significant GHG reductions. The idea was supported by the American Frozen Food Institute. In 2016, Alden brought together a group of partners based in Toronto, including the Ontario Restaurant, Hotel and Motel Association (ORHMA) and Toronto Public Health, with supporters including Toronto Hydro and TAF. Alden raised money through the Conservation Fund of the Independent Electricity System Operator (IESO) to conduct field tests in the City of Toronto, in order to assess the energy savings and food quality impact of adjusting a commercial freezer’s internal temperature from -18°C to -15°C. The study was developed and conducted by Alden with the support of NSF International and Finn Projects, who were contracted to conduct the in-field and 3rd party research. An in-field research project was conducted which measured temperature and energy usage in 30 commercial freezers throughout Toronto. In addition, the study included an analysis of 3rd party literature assessing the impact of freezer temperature adjustments on food safety and quality. Two separate surveys were also conducted of field test participants and of companies which operate businesses along the cold chain. The final results include both information from the field tests as well as the survey information. The results of the study suggested that a 3 degree Celsius temperature modification in Ontario’s freezer temperature set-point would offer measurable energy savings with no impact on food safety and limited risks to food quality for businesses. As a result of this work, and lobbying by ORHMA, a new Ontario regulation is to be enacted on July 1st, 2018 by The Ministry of Health and Long Term Care, removing the specific temperature requirement and simply requiring that food be kept in a frozen state while stored. This will allow business owners considerably more flexibility on the temperature set-point their frozen food can be stored at.