Official Site of The State of New Jersey

This work in approximately five words: Shared fresh-food distribution network

The New Jersey Shared Cold Storage Infrastructure Pilot is supported by OFSA's New Jersey Food System Enhancements Program (FSEP). Move For Hunger, alongside America’s Gleaned Seafood, Atlantic Offshore Fishery, Mercy Center, and Somerset County partners, is expanding shared refrigerated and freezer storage capacity across Monmouth, Ocean, and Somerset counties to strengthen the movement and distribution of fresh New Jersey-sourced food.

The project addresses a common challenge facing hunger relief organizations: limited cold storage capacity for safely handling and distributing perishable foods. Through a hub-based model, partners are deploying shared refrigeration and freezer units that can be used by multiple organizations to store, aggregate, and redistribute fresh products from farms, fisheries, processors, and other food system partners.

Increased cold-chain infrastructure allows community organizations to accept and distribute larger volumes of fresh food while reducing spoilage and improving efficiency. The project also creates stronger connections between local food producers and hunger relief organizations, helping ensure more New Jersey-grown and New Jersey-harvested food reaches residents experiencing food insecurity. The project supports a more resilient regional food network capable of responding to community needs while supporting local producers. The project will generate lessons and best practices that may inform future infrastructure investments across the state.

This project advances the New Jersey Food Security Strategic Plan through Strategy 2.1: Food Access and Availability Infrastructure.