Distribution of Meat by Air

Expansion of meat shipment from New Zealand by air, presently at 3000 ton/yr, will require the use of economical means of holding the meat accurately at -1 deg C despite transit delays and handling. Air cargo costs in the general Pacific Basin/Asian area now range up to 25% of the meat cost and limit applications except for Fiji, for which costs are less than 10¢/lb. Presently, only New Zealand's flag carrier has hold cooling capability on its passenger planes (with which meat is used as a filler cargo) and these are often inadequate. Continuation of the expansion from 5 to 17 markets can perhaps best be accomplished by the development of coolers with self-cooling capabilities.