Food and drink reach our tables through one of the planet’s most complex supply chains. Agriculture, processing, refrigeration, warehousing, packaging and transport together account for about 26% of global greenhouse-gas (GHG) emissions [1].
Much of that carbon arises not on the farm but in the energy that powers every subsequent step – steam for brewing, electricity for chillers, diesel for forklifts and articulated lorries. To hit climate targets without compromising food security, these hidden energy uses must move away from fossil fuels.
Green hydrogen, produced from renewable electricity via electrolysis, is emerging as a uniquely versatile substitute. Burn it and you get high‑grade heat. Feed it through a fuel cell and you get instant, zero‑emission power. Compress it in tanks and you have the range and rapid refuelling logistics managers love.
Crucially, each application can reduce carbon emissions without altering the taste, safety, or timing of food. The result is a practical pathway to a zero‑carbon food chain that protects margins, meets tightening regulations and wins consumers who increasingly “vote with their wallets” for sustainable brands [2].
Hydrogen Heat for Brewing and Processing
Most food factories are heat‑hungry. Pasteurisation, sterilisation, evaporation, drying, and cleaning typically require steam at 120–180°C or direct heat above 200 °C. These duties have traditionally been served by natural-gas or oil boilers, which together release millions of tonnes of CO₂ each year in Europe alone [3].
New evidence proves hydrogen can match this thermal duty cycle:
Kirin Brewery (Japan) is retrofitting its 2-tonne-per-hour boiler at Chitose to operate on 100% green hydrogen by 2026, resulting in an estimated 460 tonnes of CO₂ reduction per year [4].
Bruichladdich distillery (Scotland) will switch to a Dynamic Combustion Chamber™ (DCC) hydrogen boiler in 2025, cutting the island site’s scope‑1 emissions to virtually zero and recycling the condensed water within the process [5].
Mars Food (Australia) is testing the catalytic HERO reactor, which raises steam to 700°C using only hydrogen and oxygen. Early results suggest greater than 90% efficiency and negligible NOx, opening the door to high-temperature snack and confectionery lines [6].
Hydrogen combustion produces no carbon, virtually no particulates and very low NOₓ when staged correctly. Condensate quality is high, allowing direct reuse in food‑grade systems. Life‑cycle analysis shows that switching a single medium‑sized food boiler (<10 MW) from natural gas to certified green hydrogen cuts annual emissions by around 5,000 t CO₂e [7] – equal to removing more than 1,000 passenger cars.
Cost trajectory. Green hydrogen today costs between £2.60 and £4.00 per kg¹ in the UK, but learning curves for electrolysis and the potential for cheap offshore wind could push costs below £1.50 per kg¹ by 2030 [8].
Because fuel use in a well-insulated steam boiler is highly predictable, long-term offtake contracts can lock in that future price, providing cost certainty as natural-gas markets remain volatile.
Forklifts and Reach Trucks in Cold Storage
Refrigerated warehouses underpin modern food logistics, yet the sub‑zero environment is a nightmare for batteries: chemical kinetics slow, capacity drops and charge times lengthen.
Hydrogen fuel‑cell forklifts sidestep these issues by generating electricity on board at a constant voltage regardless of ambient temperature. Real-world data show that lithium-ion forklifts operating at –25°C often limp to the end of a shift with only 15–25% state of charge, experience noticeable power fade after about five hours and must be plugged in for up to 90 minutes before they can return to work.
By contrast, fuel-cell units typically finish a ten-hour shift with a 55–65% state of charge, show no discernible power loss, and are back on the floor after a three-minute hydrogen fill.
FreezPak Logistics in the United States converted 380 freezer-room forklifts to hydrogen and logged 590 extra productive hours per truck per year, saving roughly US$1.5 million in labour and battery-handling costs [9].
Globally, more than 69,000 hydrogen forklifts are in service with major grocery retailers, including Carrefour, Sysco, and The Co-op. Safety is proven, fuel cells emit only water, and modern fuelling stations feature leak detection and automatic shut‑off.
When hydrogen is sourced from renewables, each forklift avoids approximately 11 t CO₂e annually compared to propane and about 6 t CO₂e compared to grid-charged lithium trucks on today’s power mix [10].
Truck and Trailer Decarbonisation
Road freight accounts for 7 % of global CO₂ and an even higher share of NOₓ in urban corridors [11]. Battery‑electric trucks excel at last‑mile deliveries but struggle on high‑payload, long‑haul routes because of weight penalties and charging downtime. Hydrogen fuel‑cell electric trucks (FCETs) neatly plug that gap.
In Switzerland, 48 Hyundai XCIENT class-8 trucks have successfully covered over 10 million commercial kilometres while delivering groceries for Migros and Coop across alpine terrain. These trucks match the payloads of diesel vehicles and each avoids emitting approximately 80 tons of CO₂ per year.
In California, Nikola Tre units are now operating daily on 800 km loops for Nestlé Purina. Operational data indicate a 96% availability rate, and drivers prefer these electric trucks over diesel models due to their comfort and low noise levels. Hydrogen also tackles refrigeration. A fuel cell mounted on the trailer can power the fridge, reducing CO₂ emissions by an additional nine tonnes annually compared to a diesel-driven genset on a typical 44-tonne articulated vehicle [14].
Infrastructure momentum is strong: the EU’s Alternative Fuels Infrastructure Regulation (AFIR) mandates a 700-bar hydrogen station every 200 km on core TEN-T routes by 2030, while the UK’s East Coast Hydrogen project will open four truck-scale forecourts along the A1/M1 corridor by 2026.
Hydrogen in Sustainable Packaging
Scope 3 emissions from packaging can outweigh on-site emissions for some product lines. Hydrogen solutions are emerging across all primary materials. Salzgitter’s SALCOS programme will deliver hydrogen-direct-reduced tinplate coils suitable for food can lines from 2026, lowering the embodied carbon intensity by approximately 75% [15].
Guardian Glass recently melted glass cullet at 1,600 °C on 100 % hydrogen in East Yorkshire without compromising clarity or strength, proving jars and bottles can go fossil‑free [16].
Meanwhile, projects in Norway and Texas are cracking green ammonia to produce hydrogen and then synthesising low-carbon ethylene, paving the way for truly net-zero plastic films [17].
When these upstream changes converge, a shopper will pick up a jar of sauce knowing that both the contents and the container are nearly carbon-neutral.
Hydrogen on the Farm
Although this article focuses on post‑farmgate processes, two on‑farm innovations merit a glance.
First, green-ammonia fertiliser produced with renewable hydrogen can reduce the embedded emissions of cereals and oilseeds by up to 80% relative to conventional Haber-Bosch ammonia [18].
Second, prototype hydrogen tractors from New Holland and JCB promise eight hours of field autonomy with 15-minute refuelling, eliminating the need for diesel and allowing farmers to store surplus wind or solar energy as fuel [19].
Together, they inch the sector toward a genuinely “soil‑to‑shelf net‑zero” food chain.
Policy, Certification and Market Signals
Governments are rushing. The UK’s forthcoming carbon‑border adjustment mechanism will place an effective carbon price on imported food products by the late 2020s, rewarding firms whose supply chains are already clean.
New standards – notably BSI PAS 4444 – will provide a traceability framework for renewable and low-carbon hydrogen, enabling credible claims on packaging.
Meanwhile, generous incentives such as the Industrial Energy Transformation Fund (IETF) and the contract‑for‑difference‑style Hydrogen Production Business Model help de‑risk early deployment.
Consumer sentiment completes the picture: a 2024 YouGov poll found 58 % of British shoppers would switch to a brand that could prove its supply chain is net‑zero [2].
Conclusion
Hydrogen is already being used to boil water, shift pallets, and haul chilled cargo in live supply chains, not just in demonstrations.
Costs are falling, infrastructure is expanding, and regulations are becoming more stringent. Early movers gain a reputational halo, preferential shelf space with sustainability‑minded retailers and a hedge against future carbon compliance costs.
In plain English: the sooner you act, the cheaper and easier decarbonisation becomes.
Next Steps – Talk to Hydrogenera
Hydrogenera has delivered turnkey hydrogen solutions for the food industry, such as dairies. Whether you need a single-boiler retrofit or a complete hydrogen solution, our engineers can design, build, and optimise a package tailored to your energy-demand profile.
👉 Visit hydrogenera.eu to start your zero‑carbon journey today.