Recently released data from the China Federation of Logistics & Purchasing shows that total demand for food cold chain logistics services reached 86.7 million tonnes in the first quarter, a year-on-year increase of 4.46%, with the growth rate accelerating by 0.16 percentage points compared with the same period last year. Total revenue for cold chain logistics service enterprises reached ￥141.248 billion, up 3.76% year-on-year. Demand growth has rebounded, and revenue has maintained steady growth. Driven by factors including a consumption recovery and policy initiatives, the industry has maintained stable operations and exhibited three positive developments.

Both Demand and Revenue Grow, Head Enterprises Lead the Industry

Consumption is the most direct driver of cold chain logistics. In the first quarter, as the catering market steadily recovered, the holiday economy provided impetus, and various pro-consumption policies took effect, cold chain logistics demand showed a clear recovery trend. The 4.46% demand growth was not only faster than the same period last year, but also exceeded the expectations of many market institutions.

"Consumption's pull on the cold chain remains consistently evident. This, combined with the government's package of pro-consumption policies and sustained state investment in cold chain infrastructure, has jointly driven the overall continued growth of cold chain logistics," noted Qin Yuming, Secretary-General of the Cold Chain Logistics Committee of the China Federation of Logistics & Purchasing.

Looking at key enterprises, the trend of orders accelerating their concentration among leading players was particularly pronounced in the first quarter. Leveraging their network deployment, brand reputation, and management advantages, the business volume growth rate of key enterprises was generally 2 to 5 percentage points above the industry average. On the cost side, facing the dual pressures of rising fuel prices pushing up operating costs and falling freight rates, these leading enterprises did not passively absorb the impact. Instead, they actively transmitted and mitigated the bulk of incremental costs through various means, including collective fuel procurement, route optimization, signing oil-price-linked contracts, and adopting new energy alternatives. Although net profit margins in the first quarter narrowed compared with previous years, they remained significantly better than the industry average, demonstrating the risk resilience and cost control advantages of leading enterprises.

Notably, demand for high-quality cold chain services driven by consumption upgrades is becoming a new growth point. In supermarkets across Ezhou, Hubei Province, imported fresh products such as Norwegian salmon, Boston lobster, and Thai durians are readily available and have become consumer favourites. Behind this lies an air cold chain corridor connecting the deep sea to the dining table. Less than 100 metres from Ezhou Huahu Airport, Asia's largest intelligent salmon processing line officially commenced operations this year. Norwegian salmon can travel from the deep sea half a world away to Ezhou and reach the processing facility in just 36 hours. "More than 100 flights depart directly from Ezhou daily to destinations nationwide, reaching 80% of the consumer base within 1.5 hours," stated Qin Weiqin, head of the China Eastern Air Logistics Central China Fresh Port salmon processing plant.

Thanks to increasingly robust cold chain networks, not only can imported fresh produce conveniently reach consumers' tables, but domestic agricultural products can also achieve off-peak sales and higher incomes for farmers through cold chain storage. In Jingzhou, Hubei Province, crayfish production increased this year while prices fell compared with last year. Local cold chain enterprises purchased large quantities, processed them, and stored them in cold storage to supply the peak Mid-Autumn Festival and Spring Festival consumption seasons. "Purchasing and storing has protected the income of crayfish farmers," said Yan Zhen, head of Supply and Marketing Cold Chain (Jingzhou) Industrial Development.

Qin Yuming noted, "The continuous improvement of fresh food cold chain infrastructure enables consumers to access higher-quality fresh agricultural products more quickly and conveniently. At the same time, as cross-border cold chain networks continue to improve, consumers can also more easily enjoy fresh delicacies from around the world."

Intelligent Upgrades Accelerate, Cold Storage Operating Efficiency Significantly Enhanced

Within the entire cold chain logistics chain, cold storage is one of the most critical operational nodes. In the first quarter, investment in the construction of infrastructure such as cold storage facilities in China maintained steady growth. More importantly, intelligent upgrades are moving from concept to large-scale application.

In Nanchong, Sichuan Province, the region's first smart cold chain logistics and processing centre recently officially began operations. The project, with a total investment of approximately ￥1.25 billion, features an integrated smart system deploying over 500 IoT sensors, enabling visualization, controllability, and early warning management across the entire supply chain process. "When the storage temperature exceeds -18°C, our system automatically triggers a restart through the smart platform to cool down; once it reaches -22°C, it automatically shuts off," explained Cheng Wei, warehouse manager at Sichuan Tianfu Shuleng Economic Industry.

Inside a cold storage facility operated by Shenzhen Port Logistics Group, a batch of domestically pioneering cold-heat shuttle unmanned forklifts has been officially deployed. These unmanned forklifts can freely shuttle between a -25°C cold storage environment and a normal-temperature loading platform, addressing the pain points faced by manual forklift operations under extreme temperature differentials—difficult working conditions, low efficiency, and significant safety hazards. Data shows that a manual forklift takes roughly five minutes on average to deliver one pallet of goods, while the unmanned forklift, assisted by technologies such as lidar and digital twins, can reduce this time to three minutes—an efficiency improvement of about 40%.

Nationally, the cold storage structure continued to optimise during the first quarter, with the proportion of multi-temperature zone and flow-through cold storage facilities gradually increasing. Intelligent upgrades are advancing in an orderly manner, and facility utilization efficiency continues to improve. Vacancy rates for cold storage in most cities saw a slight decline compared with the fourth quarter of last year. "Since the beginning of this year, investment in smart cold storage, including smart renovation of infrastructure, has been continuously ramping up. New technologies such as unmanned delivery vehicles and autonomous driving are also being increasingly applied within the industry, indicating that the pace of the industry's intelligent upgrade is accelerating," said Qin Yuming.

Intelligence is also reflected in the final-stage sorting and packaging process. Stepping into the warehouse operation area of a cold chain transport enterprise in Beijing's Daxing District, in a workstation designated as "seeding," digital technology applications enable staff to efficiently complete their tasks. Goods are placed in corresponding compartments. Based on delivery distance and time requirements, AI automatically generates a document indicating the quantity of refrigerant needed for packaging. "The tablet screen says five pieces of dry ice; once packed, it's simply placed on the conveyor belt," explained Wu Jing, a warehouse outbound checker. The warehouse manager, Wei Huaishu, told reporters: "We are currently in the ice product season, the peak business period for summer cold chain, and business volume has roughly doubled compared with the previous two months." Daily dry ice consumption at the facility can reach 90,000 sachets, equivalent to double the usual amount.

Explosive Growth in New Energy Refrigerated Trucks, Green Transformation Enters the Fast Lane

Against the backdrop of continuously strengthened policies and maturing technology, sales of new energy refrigerated trucks saw particularly eye-catching growth in the first quarter, becoming a flagship indicator of the industry's green transformation.

Data shows that nationwide sales of refrigerated trucks totalled 14,074 units in the first quarter, a year-on-year increase of 27.98%. Among these, sales of new energy refrigerated trucks reached 4,945 units, a year-on-year surge of 66.55%. The penetration rate of new energy refrigerated trucks hit 35.14%, a significant increase of 8.14 percentage points from the same period last year. This means that for every three refrigerated trucks sold, more than one is a new energy model.

In Zhejiang Province, a tea beverage ingredient distribution enterprise recently acquired 30 new energy refrigerated trucks. Early each morning, these trucks deliver fresh fruits, fresh milk, and other tea beverage ingredients to hundreds of nearby stores. "New energy vehicles cool faster and maintain more stable temperatures," said He Jiyong, head of the Huzhou warehouse of Zhejiang Mingxingpei Supply Chain.

Also in Zhejiang, a meat product processing enterprise invested over ￥10 million in April this year to purchase 50 new energy refrigerated trucks. After over a month of operation, the company's cold chain logistics costs have fallen by approximately 30%. "From procurement and processing to dispatch and onto the dining table, we must ensure full cold chain logistics coverage," stated You Jianhong, head of Zhejiang Xilongren Ecological Agriculture Technology. He specifically noted that in addition to market demand, state subsidies and purchase tax incentives for new energy refrigerated trucks have greatly stimulated enterprises' purchasing appetite.

Qin Yuming observed that the sustained increase in the penetration rate of new energy refrigerated trucks is attributable to their overall operating cost advantage, coupled with the country's ongoing efforts to improve charging infrastructure. "New energy refrigerated trucks have become the backbone of urban distribution, providing strong support for the industry's green transformation and upgrade."