Cold Chain Report 2026

The Cold Chain Report is the Cold Chain Federation’s annual examination of trends impacting the UK’s cold chain sector. It offers a comprehensive assessment of the challenges faced by those handling and storing goods across all transportation modes and regions of the UK. As a vital component of the broader economy, the cold chain is essential for trade and growth. The data presented in this report underscores our call for collaboration with policymakers to maxmise the sector’s potential.

Now in its fourth iteration, the Cold Chain Report is the definitive guide to the UK cold chain. It is an essential resource for businesses, policymakers, regulators, and others looking to better understand the size and makeup of the UK’s temperature-controlled logistics industry.

For 2026, the Cold Chain Federation invested significantly in expanding the report’s scope and size, including a new section on People, presenting research into workforce demographics and recruitment across the cold chain.

The Cold Chain Report 2026 has four parts:

PART 1: THE UK COLD CHAIN IN NUMBERS  – 15 pages of statistics on the makeup of UK cold chain, including data on the size and number of cold stores, refrigerated vehicles and shipping containers and graphics on the impact of key costs like fuel and energy inflation as well as details on UK progress towards a net zero cold chain.

PART 2: PEOPLE IN THE UK COLD CHAIN – New for 2026, A 14-page, first-of-its-kind study on the people who power the cold chain, featuring a major survey of Cold Chain Federation members on diversity, shift patterns and recruitment across 11 staff categories from directors to cold store operatives, drivers and specialist roles.

PART 3: THE ECONOMIC IMPACT OF THE UK COLD CHAIN – Over 20 pages of analysis on the contribution of business in the cold chain to the UK economy, including direct, indirect and induced impact and case studies on how the cold chain underpins the food, pharmaceutical, horticulture and shipping sectors.

PART 4: THE COLD CHAIN FEDERATION ANNUAL REPORT – A detailed look at how the Cold Chain Federation has represented its members over the last year, including the latest numbers of members, events participants and report downloads as well as the growth of our communication channels and advocacy work.

CCF Members can request a free copy of the report by clicking the download button and completing the form. Once verified, your copy will be emailed to you. There might be a short delay whilst we process and approve your request

For non members, you can purchase a copy for £395+ VAT. If you are interested in joining the federation to gain free access to the report and other numerous benefits, then please contact our membership team

To purchase a non-member version of the report, please select from below and add it to your basket.

Cold Chain Report 2026

You can download your free member copy by completing this form and we shall send you the report.

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For more information on the Cold Chain Report 2026, contact Tom Southall