Freeze-Drying: A Sustainable Solution to Food Insecurity and Waste

By Sverre Puustusmaa, CEO & Founder, Tactical Solutions

The world faces a dual food crisis: widespread insecurity, with over 700 million people going hungry, and massive waste, with nearly 40% of food lost globally each year. This contradiction is staggering, but thankfully innovative technologies are offering hope.

Freeze-drying provides an effective solution to both of these challenges. This process can preserve food for up to 25 years while retaining 97% of its nutritional value, the process addresses critical issues of spoilage and accessibility. Additionally the lightweight, shelf-stable characteristics of freeze-dried food makes it ideal for emergency relief, global aid distribution, and supplying remote regions.

Freeze-drying improves food security and reduces waste by preserving surplus produce for future use. Compared to traditional preservation techniques, the method lowers greenhouse gas emissions and consumes less energy. As population growth and climate change exacerbate global challenges, freeze-drying could be crucial in developing a sustainable and resilient food system.

What is Freeze-Drying?

Freeze-drying is a preservation method that involves first freezing the food, then using a vacuum to remove water through a process called sublimation. Freeze-drying helps retain the food’s nutritional value, preserves its texture and flavor, and extends its shelf life without the need for refrigeration. Unlike traditional dehydration, which uses heat and can degrade both nutrients and taste, freeze-drying results in a lightweight product that is ideal for storage and transport.

Freeze-drying is a versatile process that can be applied to various types of food, including fruits, vegetables, dairy products, and complete meals.

Emergency Relief Support

As food insecurity becomes a growing global challenge, innovative technologies such as freeze-drying offer essential solutions. This method preserves food in a way that maintains the benefits of the original product, effectively bridging the gap between surplus resources and areas facing scarcity. From emergency aid to improvements in long-term supply chains, freeze-drying addresses a wide range of needs in the fight against hunger.

In humanitarian crises caused by natural disasters, conflicts, or pandemics, rapid access to nutritious food is vital. Freeze-dried meals are lightweight, compact, and easy to transport, making them ideal for emergency responses. With the simple addition of water, these meals can provide essential nutritions, even when infrastructure is compromised.

For isolated or underserved regions, where fresh produce is scarce due to logistical challenges, freeze-dried food offers a reliable alternative. Its long shelf life and nutrient retention ensure that communities can access essential vitamins and minerals without dependence on regular supply chains.

Freeze-drying also reduces spoilage during transit, which is especially important when moving food across long distances. Its reduced weight lowers transportation costs, while its durability minimises losses caused by handling and environmental factors.

Addressing the Food Waste Pandemic

Food waste is a major contributor to global greenhouse gas emissions, with approximately 8 – 10% attributed to discarded food. Freeze-drying can play a significant role in reducing this waste by preserving the surplus of food that goes unused everyday. For example, peak harvests that would otherwise go unsold can be processed into freeze-dried products, extending their usability and preventing spoilage.

By requiring no refrigeration during storage or transportation, freeze-dried products significantly reduce energy consumption and associated carbon emissions. These attributes make the technology a key player in building resilient, sustainable food systems.

This approach turns potential waste into a valuable, long-lasting resource. Additionally, freeze-drying uses less energy than methods like canning or freezing, making it a more sustainable choice for large-scale food preservation.

Economically speaking, freeze-drying supports local producers by creating markets for surplus crops that might otherwise be discarded. It also empowers aid organisations by enabling them to stockpile food supplies for future crises, reducing reliance on reactive procurement.

The Future of Freeze-Drying

As the global population is projected to reach 9.8 billion by 2050, the demand for food is expected to increase by 60%. This growing need will require new and innovative approaches to production, preservation, and distribution. Freeze-drying offers a scalable solution that can meet these demands while addressing sustainability goals.

For governments and organisations, investing in freeze-drying technology and infrastructure presents an opportunity to enhance food security, reduce waste, and mitigate the environmental impact of food systems. By integrating freeze-drying into supply chains, nations can build resilience against future disruptions, including climate change and geopolitical instability.

Freeze-drying is more than a technological advancement – it’s a critical tool for addressing the interconnected challenges of food insecurity and waste. By extending shelf life, retaining nutritional value, and reducing spoilage, freeze-drying has the potential to reinvent how we store and distribute food.

As the world faces growing environmental and humanitarian challenges, embracing sustainable innovations like freeze-drying will be essential to creating a more equitable and food-secure future. Through collaborative efforts between governments, aid organisations and private bodies, this technology can help reshape global food systems for the better, for everyone.

Bio:

Sverre Puustusmaa is the CEO and founder of Tactical Solutions, a company he established in 2016. With a background as a soldier in the special forces and a medic in challenging conditions, Sverre was inspired to create a solution to the low-quality military rations he encountered during critical missions. His frustration with inadequate food led to the development of a solution that prioritises high-quality, nutritious meals in all conditions.

Under Sverre’s leadership, Tactical Solutions has pioneered innovations in food technology and sustainability. The company’s mission is to deliver nutritious, economically efficient food solutions without compromising on taste, embodied through successful brands like Tactical Foodpack and Chef Urban. Sverre’s focus on quality drives his commitment to ensuring that food should never be compromised.