The impact of cold storage facilities implemented at the production site on mitigating fruit and vegetable losses in China

Global food security is significantly threatened by food wastage, especially post-harvest losses in the fruit and vegetable supply chain, which place considerable pressure on natural resources and the environment. While existing studies has largely focused on behavioral interventions targeting individual stakeholders, quantitative assessments of the efficacy of government-level policies remain scarce. This study addresses this gap by assessing the impact of China's policy promoting the establishment of cold storage facilities at production sites, drawing on data from a large-scale 2022 survey. The results show that the implementation of on-site cold storage reduces post-harvest handling and storage losses by a notable 13.2 %, with corresponding improvements in farmer incomes and reductions in water resource stress and carbon emissions. Nonetheless, approximately 40 % of avoidable losses persist at this stage even after post-intervention. These findings provide a robust empirical evidence to guide policymakers in developing nations to formulate effective interventions and prioritize investment in cold chain infrastructure to combat food wastage.