Dear friends of frozen food, dear ladies and gentlemen,

welcome to Cologne and to Anuga 2025 - the perfect stage for the 2nd International Frozen Food Conference, jointly convened by the International Frozen Food Network (IFFN) and the Global Cold Chain Alliance (GCCA). Our network is made up of many different associations from around the world. You have the opportunity to get to know this network. Today we gather under the banner “The Power of Frozen.”

This conference brings together the world’s leading voices from frozen food and temperature-controlled logistics to explore a simple idea with profound consequences: when food security is the question, frozen is one of the clearest answers. Not because it is glamorous, but because it is reliable. In a world where climate, geopolitics, and prices can change overnight, frozen food gives societies something priceless: time- time to move food safely across distance, time to smooth out seasons and shocks, and time for families to plan their budgets with confidence.

Frozen turns seasonality into stability. A strong harvest can nourish people for months, not days. That steadies diets and dampens price spikes. For retailers and governments alike, modest, distributed frozen stocks are a practical buffer that prevents small supply hiccups from becoming big crises.

Frozen makes nutrition predictable. By locking in quality at peak freshness, frozen foods put balanced meals - vegetables, seafood, proteins, whole grains - within reach every day of the week. For many households, that means nutritious options that remain affordable and safe next week, not just today.

Frozen slashes waste - the hidden tax on food security. The easiest way to feed more people with fewer resources is to stop losing what we already produce. From farm to home, frozen reduces spoilage, eases pressure on land and water, and cuts the volatility that fuels sudden price surges. That’s resilience you can measure.

Frozen also shock-proofs our supply chains. When tariffs rise or routes close, products with real shelf life can wait out a queue, reroute around a chokepoint, or take a slower, cheaper mode without sacrificing safety or quality. That flexibility protects businesses and shoppers from paying for yesterday’s bottleneck.

And importantly, frozen aligns resilience with sustainability. By preserving quality and avoiding waste, we lower the footprint of every meal - because the most sustainable dinner is the one that actually gets eaten. As grids get cleaner and equipment smarter, that climate dividend only grows.

To fully unlock this potential, policy matters. We welcome dialogue with governments to: keep food moving through rules-based trade and fast “green lanes” at borders; back smart cold-chain infrastructure in ports; reward waste reduction in public procurement; and support access to nutritious frozen staples through fair taxation and targeted vouchers. These are practical steps that turn principle into plates.

Today’s program - “Frozen Food Supply Chain: Delivering Food Security for the World” - reflects a shared ambition of the IFFN and GCCA: to raise global awareness of frozen’s benefits and strengthen collaboration across our entire value chain. You will meet the managing directors and leaders who drive this effort, and you’ll hear from industry pioneers whose innovations are shaping how the world eats - safely, sustainably, and at scale.

Let me offer heartfelt thanks to our partners at Koelnmesse and Anuga for their outstanding support, and to all speakers joining us on stage. Your commitment gives our industry visibility and a strong, credible voice.

Colleagues and friends, frozen is fresh, it’s innovative, and it’s sustainable. Above all, it is strategic - the quiet infrastructure of reliable nutrition in an uncertain world. That is the power of frozen.

With that, I am honoured to open the 2nd International Frozen Food Conference. Let’s make the most of our time together - share boldly, learn quickly, and build the partnerships that will feed the future.

Thank you, and have an excellent conference.

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