Cross-Border Cold Chain: The Logistics Story Behind Chilean Cherries and Norwegian Salmon Imports

【Cold Chain Logistics】 Chilean cherries, Norwegian salmon, Thai mangoes... Chinese consumers are enjoying fresh food from around the globe in increasingly convenient ways. Cold chain logistics is the most important infrastructure behind this delicious搬运. From origin to dining table, the constant-temperature logistics chain is delivering fresh ingredients to millions of households with increasingly higher efficiency.

Cherries: A Sweet Journey Across the Southern Hemisphere

From November each year to February the following year is the season for large-scale Chilean cherry imports into China. This timing coincides with the Chinese Spring Festival, when the bright red, crisp and sweet cherries become a popular choice for New Year gifts. From Chilean origin to Chinese consumer hands, cherry cold chain logistics needs to traverse approximately 20,000 kilometers, crossing the Pacific Ocean and transitioning between southern and northern hemisphere seasons.

Air freight and sea freight are the two main ways Chilean cherries enter China. Air-freighted cherries depart from Chile and can arrive in China within 30 hours, retaining the best fresh state, but air freight costs are high, accounting for about 15-20% of the cargo value. Sea freight refrigerated container cherries are maintained at temperatures between minus 2 and 0 degrees Celsius throughout the journey, with a shipping time of about 25-30 days, and costs are much lower than air freight, making it the mainstream transport method for Chilean cherries on the market. In 2026, approximately 80% of Chilean cherry exports to China entered the Chinese market via sea freight.

Salmon: The Cold Chain Journey from Nordic Deep Sea to Chinese Dining Tables

Norwegian salmon is one of the imported seafood products with high unit price and cargo value in China. From Norwegian farms to Chinese consumer dining tables, salmon needs to go through multiple links including temporary breeding, harvesting, factory processing, freezing or fresh processing, cold chain transport, port customs clearance, and distribution. Each link has very strict temperature control requirements.

Currently, Norwegian salmon enters China mainly in two forms: fresh whole fish and frozen salmon fillets. Fresh salmon has the highest cold chain requirements, needing to be maintained between 0-4 degrees Celsius throughout, with no more than 7 days from catch to consumer. With the increase of direct Norway-China refrigerated container shipping routes, the logistics timeliness of fresh salmon has improved significantly.

Chile, Canada, Australia, and other countries also export salmon to China, showing a clear trend of diversified sources.

Cold Chain Infrastructure Construction: From Origin Pre-Cooling to Terminal Refrigerators

A complete cold chain system starts with the construction of origin pre-cooling facilities. Chilean cherry farms are generally equipped with vacuum pre-cooling equipment; cherries enter the pre-cooling process within two hours of harvest, with the fruit core temperature rapidly reduced to around 0 degrees through decompression. Delays in this link directly affect subsequent freshness preservation effects.

Cold chain logistics intermediate links include refrigerated containers, customs cold inspection warehouses, importer's own cold storage, etc. The "last mile" of terminal distribution is one of the weakest links in cold chain. In urban distribution, electric refrigerated distribution vehicles, community refrigerators, and express self-pickup lockers are gradually becoming popular, and the coverage rate of cold chain to household is continuously improving.

Outlook: Cold Chain Digitalization and Origin Traceability

The digitalization of cold chain logistics is developing rapidly. Temperature tracking sensors combined with GPS positioning systems enable real-time monitoring of temperature throughout transport. Once a temperature anomaly occurs, the system automatically alerts and triggers emergency handling. The introduction of blockchain technology makes cold chain traceability possible—consumers can scan a code to learn product origin, processing plant, logistics path, and other information.

For Chinese consumers, better cold chain infrastructure means fresher products, more distant origins, and more favorable prices. The development of cold chain logistics is continuously expanding the boundaries of what Chinese consumers can enjoy in terms of delicious food, and this trend continues to deepen.

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配图：智利农场车厘子包装车间，全程冷链工人戴手套作业，摄影

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