SAN FRANCISCO—In March, the Department of Homeland Security classified cold storage facilities and employees as essential infrastructure, keeping them open and operating through the peak of the pandemic. Ultimately, the frontline workers in this sector prevented widespread food shortages across the country.

"Though cold storage is far from top of mind for most people, it is a vital component of our food supply chain," says Alex Langerman, COO of Cold Summit Development.

As states begin to reopen, consumer food shopping habits are highly unlikely to return to pre-pandemic style shopping. E-commerce grocery shopping will continue growing and will most certainly include more perishable items as fresh/frozen produce and protein move from farmer to processor, wholesaler to distributor and direct to consumer.

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Lisa Brown

Lisa Brown is an editor for the south and west regions of GlobeSt.com. She has 25-plus years of real estate experience, with a regional PR role at Grubb & Ellis and a national communications position at MMI. Brown also spent 10 years as executive director at NAIOP San Francisco Bay Area chapter, where she led the organization to achieving its first national award honors and recognition on Capitol Hill. She has written extensively on commercial real estate topics and edited numerous pieces on the subject.