According to BM Foods, holding company of local food brand Mediterranean Delicacies, the benefits of using CO₂ is that it dramatically reduces the negative impact on the environment. There is a Global Warming Potential (GWP) status which uses a score type system to define what is detrimental to the environment; the lower the score, the better it is for the environment, in this case CO₂ has an almost perfect score of 1, whereas traditional refrigeration gases currently have an astronomical (negative) GWP score of 4,922.
"We are privileged to have a cutting-edge supplier in the field who assisted with creating this unique refrigeration technique. We are now using 100% environmentally friendly gas and as an added benefit we get free heating for all of our hot water requirements in the factory via a heat exchanger. We no longer need electrically heated hot water cylinders in our facility,” says Costas Vayanos, CEO of BM Foods.
This refrigeration innovation, combined with the 30% of solar power used in the new Cape Town factory, has reduced the company's carbon footprint significantly.
Richard Drinkrow, MD of Mainstream Refrigeration, who supplied the refrigeration system, advises that CO₂ is a natural gas that is recovered from the atmosphere and if there are any leaks, this simply returns to the atmosphere where it belongs.
"CO₂ was the original gas used in the 1930s which was ousted for more modern gases, but the damage caused by traditional gases and other pollutants to the ozone layer and beyond, has resulted in increased global pressure to protect the environment. The use of CO₂ in refrigeration systems will assist in making small yet impactful improvements to our environment and world as a whole,” Drinkrow says.
According to Vayanos, returning to natural gases as a means of refrigeration is an important step for Mediterranean Delicacies. "We are highly motivated to be the South African leader in environmentally friendly practices within the food manufacturing industry. Using the CO₂ refrigeration technique brings us one step closer to achieving this goal," he concludes.
