Biopharma loses around $35bn a year to cold chain failures, says Motive

A break in the cold chain doesn't just cost a load, it can cost the contract. Motive has put out guidance on where temperature-controlled freight actually fails, and for UK operators running reefers it's a useful prompt to check whether monitoring is doing more than logging a number for the file. Motive says 13% of the world's total food production is lost in the supply chain or wasted by consumers, and that approximately 7% to 15% of food waste happens during transport.

The financial exposure isn't limited to fresh produce. Motive cites annual losses of around $35 billion for biopharma from temperature-control failures alone, a reminder that cold chain risk sits well beyond salad bags and ready meals. Its guidance leans on continuous monitoring, real-time alerts on temperature, humidity and door activity, and remote control of Carrier and Thermo King units for pre-cooling and set-point changes, alongside a two-part audit checklist covering shipment-level review and operational-wide reliability and documentation.

Why this matters: reefer logs are only as good as the dispute they can win. If your telematics can't produce a clean, time-stamped record of temperature and custody hand-offs, you're relying on the customer's goodwill when a load gets rejected, not your own evidence.