A new refrigerated ‘smart pallet’ will spark a “revolution in global fresh food transportation”, its manufacturers have claimed.

Biofresh, which specialises in developing ‘ethical’ technology, said its Freshpallet would extend the storage life of perishable foodstuffs by using a battery-powered cooling system that pipes non-harmful ozone through the pallet. As well as keeping it cool, the ozone also removes ethylene, slowing the ripening of fruit and berries.

The longer storage life means the pallets can be transported by sea, saving money and reducing environmental impact.

Biofresh worked with engineering firm Tharsus to toughen up the pallet to make it suitable for sea transportation.

“We incorporated plastic with the more traditional steel construction,” said Tharsus CEO Brian Palmer. “Spoilage costs the food industry billions, so to improve a product that combats this problem on a worldwide scale was a great project for our team.”

A spokeswoman for Biofresh said the pallet was currently in use transporting produce between Latin America and the US, Madagascar and France and Spain and Italy.

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