By Bernie Cahiles-Magkilat Royal Cargo, Inc., the country’s leading integrated logistics solutions provider, said its North Hub is ready to take the expected increased demand for frozen food during the Christmas season. Royal Cargo Group CEO Michael Raeuber said the recently inaugurated Royal Cargo North Hub in Bulacan is built to provide continuous cold supply chain processes in anticipation of greater demand for frozen goods, especially during the Christmas season. Royal Cargo quoted leading statistics portal Statista, which forecasts the country retail sale of frozen food to reach about $1.32 billion this year. Demand for frozen food in the country has been on an upward trend since 2014. “As the Philippine population continues to grow, demand for additional cold storage facilities nationwide increases as well. But instead of just cold storage spaces, what we need more of now is integrated cold supply chain systems capable of providing uninterrupted logistics chains. These systems ensure clean and proper handling of frozen goods to preserve their high quality. These are very important, especially now that Christmas is just around the corner and demand from supermarkets and groceries is a lot higher in preparation for the holidays,” said Raeuber. According to Raeuber, greater disposable incomes and changing lifestyles are influencing the consumption habits of many Filipinos, encouraging more to rely increasingly on frozen goods for their daily needs. The steady increase in demand for frozen goods is spurring a similar growth in demand for cold storage facilities. According to leading end-to-end logistics solutions provider, Royal Cargo is geared up to fill the gap between the need for uninterrupted cold supply chain systems and the increase in demand for cold storage facilities. “To ensure that the frozen goods for this year remain in good quality, our North Hub offers different cold chain services for the different needs of our clients. We have 14 temperature-controlled rooms with two blast-freezing rooms, an 800-square-meter food processing area and 18 loading bays, 16 of which are for regular goods and two separate bays for Halal and Kosher foods,” Royal Cargo President Elmer Sarmiento said.