Starting with the French ship Le Frigorifique in 1876 and followed by successful shipments of frozen Australian and South American meat to Britain around 1880, mechanical refrigeration aboard steamships made it possible to transport perishable meat over thousands of miles without spoiling. Earlier attempts to ship fresh meat long distances had largely failed, limiting meat trade to animals shipped live or salted and preserved. Refrigerated holds allowed countries such as Argentina, Australia, and New Zealand to become major meat exporters to industrializing Europe. Refrigerated rail cars soon extended similar benefits to overland trade in meat, dairy, and produce.
Relevance to Trade History
Opened long-distance international trade in perishable food, reshaping global agricultural specialization and diets in industrial-era cities.
Read the full story in our article Refrigeration and the Global Food Trade.
Source: Science Museum, London. See our Sources & Methodology page for how we select and verify references.