[Refrigerated Storage] [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov] REFRIGERATED STORAGE A STUDY OF PROJECTED REQUIREMENTS FOR PUBLIC GENERAL REFRIGERATED WAREHOUSES BY DEFENSE TRANSPORT ADMINISTRATION WASHINGTON 25, D. C. REFRIGERATED STORAGE A LOOK AHEAD A Study of Projected Requirements for Public General Refrigerated Warehouses Prepared by The Warehousing and Storage Division DEFENSE TRANSPORT ADMINISTRATION Washington» D. C. May 1953 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT This pamphlet and the conclusions resulting therefrom concerning public general refrigerated warehousing facilities are based on a study made by the Defense Transport Administration to determine projected future requirements of refrigerated storage space under existing and anticipated mobilization conditions«» We wish to acknowledge with appreciation the cooper- ation of the Production and Marketing Administration of the United States Department of Agriculture, the several trade associations of the frozen food and warehousing industries, the authors of books, publishers of magazines concerning the refrigeration of foods, and individual companies within the public refrigerated warehousing industry, whose assistance in the preparation of this report has been invaluable* Expressions of opinion on the part of those inter- ested in this study and its conclusions will be welcomed» Such comments will receive full consideration in mobilization plan ning for public refrigerated ousing operations Administrator May 18, 1953 - 1 - TABLE OF CONTENTS Page Introduction 2 Section I The Development of Refrigeration 2 Section II Definitions and Assumptions 6 Section III The Growth of Refrigerated Storage in the United States 9 Section IV Projected Requirements 17 Section V Capacity and Occupancy of Cooler Space 28 Section VI Capacity and Occupancy of Freezer Space llO ILLUSTRATIONS Charts Fig* A - Distribution of gross refrigerated storage space 10 by type of operations, October 1, 1951 Fig. B - Distribution of total gross refrigerated storage 11 space by type of warehouse, 19^3 - 1951 Fig. C - Distribution of freezer and cooler space by type 12 of warehouse, 19U3 - 1951 Fig. D - Relationship between reported occupancy and number 19 of cubic feet of freezer space used to store 1,000 pounds of food Fig. E - Comparison between annual production and total 21 year-end freezer holdings of butter, fish, poultry, meat and eggs, 19h0 - 1951 Fig. F - Annual pack and total year-end holdings of frozen 22 fruits, juices and vegetables, 19^0 - 1951 TABLE OF CONTENTS (cont’d) Charts Page Fig, G - Year-end freezer stocks of all food items in 2h public, semiprivate and private warehouses, 193$ - 19^1 Fig. H - Distribution of cooler storage space by type 30 of warehouse, 1943 - 1951 Fig. I - Percentage of occupancy of cooler storage space 35 in public general refrigerated warehouses, 1946 - 1952 Fig. J - Total weight of cooler commodities in all types 36 of warehouses at end of month, 1946 - 1952 Fig. K - Percentage of cooler occupancy in public general 38 refrigerated warehouses, by region, compared with national average, 1950 - 1952 Fig. L - Percentage of occupancy of freezer storage space 4.7 in public general refrigerated warehouses, 1946 - 1952 Fig. m - Weights of commodities in freezer storage at end 49 of month, comparing 1946 with 1951 in all types of refrigerated warehouses Fig. N - Total weight of freezer commodities in all types 51 of warehouses at end of month, 1944 - 1952 Fig. 0 - Percentage of freezer occupancy in public general 54 refrigerated warehouses, by regions, compared with national average, 1950 - 1952 Tables Table 1 - Space in public refrigerated warehouses convert- 14 ible between cooler and freezer temperatures Table 2 - Palletization of public general refrigerated 15 warehouses Table 3 - Fork lift trucks in public general refrigerated 16 warehouses TABLE OF CONTENTS (cont'd) Tables Page Table H - Year-end freezer stocks of all food items in 25 public, private and semiprivate refrigerated waréhouses, 1935 - 1952 Table 5 - Comparison of per capita consumption of frozen 26 fruits, juices and vegetables between 19U0 and 1950 Table 6 - Distribution of cooler storage space by type of 31 warehouse as of October, 19U3 - 1551 Table 7 - Number of cubic feet of Cooler space available 32 per person in the United States, èxcluding méat packing establishments, 19^1 - 1951 Table 8 - Total gross cooler storage space in publié general 32 refrigerated warehouses and public apple houses, by regions, 19U3 - 1951 Table 9 - Distribution of cooled, storage space betweén 33 public general refrigerated warehouses and public apple houses, by regions, as of October 1, 1951 Table 10 - Percentage of occupâncy of cooler storage space in 3I4. public general refrigerated warehouses, 19^6 - 1952 Table 11 - Percentage of cooler occüpancy at end of month in 39 public general refrigerated waréhouses, by regions, 1950 - 1952 Table 12 - Capacity of freezer storage space in public general UO refrigerated warehouses and public apple hbuses, 1939 - 1951 Table 13 - Capacity of freezér storage space by type of Ul facility, 19U - 1951 Table 1U - Per capita gross cubic feet of freezer storage b2 space in public refrigerated warehouses, 1939 - 1951 Table 15 - Gross freezer storage space in public general h3 refrigerated warehouses arid public apple houses, by region, 19U3 - 1951 TABLE OF CONTENTS (cont’d) Tables Page Table 16 - Gross freezer storage space in public general Ml refrigerated warehouses and public apple houses, by classification of space and by regions, as of October 1, 1951 Table 17 * Highest reported occupancy of freezer storage U5 space in public general refrigerated warehouses, including apple houses, 19^1 * 1951 Table 18 - Percentage of freezer space occupancy at end of U6 month in public general refrigerated warehouses, 19U6 - 1952 Table 19 - Weights of commodities in freezer storage at U8 end of month, comparing 19h6 with 1951 in all types of refrigerated warehouses Table 20 - Total weight of freezer commodities in all types 50 of warehouses at end of month, 19Mi - 1952 Table 21 - Percentage of freezer occupancy in public 53 general refrigerated warehouses, by month, 1950 - 1952 Table 22 - Occupancy of freezer space in public general 55 refrigerated warehouses in selected cities, December 1951 to December 1952 INTRODUCTION The Defense Transport Administration was established by Executive Order of the President under authority of the Defense Production Act of 19^0, as amended, and among other things, is charged with the responsibility for assuring the availability of adequate storage facilities. The various forms of storage can be divided into four basic types, general merchandise, refrigerated, bulk storage of liquids and bulk storage of grains and feeds. While the Defense Transport Administration is concerned with all these forms of storage, this study is limited to refrigerated storage, and more especially, to refrigerated storage facilities operated as public general refrigerated warehouses. It is the policy of DTA to encourage the public warehousing industry to develop with private capital as much of the storage space needed by the defense effort as is economically feasible, thus obviating the necessity of government construction and minimizing the need for allocation controls. It therefore becomes a matter of considerable importance to determine the requirements for refrigerated facilities to meet the needs of both the military and essential civilian economy. By reason of the long lead time required for the proper planning and construction of refrigerated warehouses, it was decided that a study should be made to project the requirements for such facilities through the end of 19^. It is hoped that the results of this study will assist the industry in formulating a program which will meet the demands of the defense activity and at the same time protect the requirement of the essential civilian economy. Particular attention has been given to those increased requirements resulting from the expansion of defense activity which could be a dominant influence on the future growth of the public refrigerated warehousing industry. The expected increased disposal income of consumers during the coming years, together with the anticipated continued heavy procurement of military items, should result in a continuing strong demand for frozen foods. SECTION I THE DEVELOPMENT OF REFRIGERATION The preservation of perishables by freezing dates back to prehistoric times when nature suddenly engulfed animals and plants - 2 - with ice. The woolly mammoths that have been found frozen in Siberia evidence the fact that meat can be preserved by freezing and retain its good quality and appearance for thousands of years. However, the practical application of this method of preservation had to wait many centuries until man was able to control temperatures within limited areas. History indicates that man-made cooling processes were known as far back as the ancient races of Egyptians, Greeks, Romans and East Indians. Porous clay vessels were filled with water and hung in the shade, and the water that passed through the porous walls was evaporated by the dry winds. The removal of heat by evaporation reduced the temperature of the remaining water in the vessel until it was cool, and this sometimes cooled sufficiently to form ice. But it was not until the beginning of the 19th century that natural ice was used for preserving food. During the early days of our country, the composition of the population was basically rural, and consequently the storage of food was usually localized to each family. Then communities began to develop and as they grew, villages became towns and towns became cities. This gradual division between rural and urban populations led to the development of larger farms which, by reason of improved farm methods, were capable of higher productivity. The formation of urban communities, together with the increase in the distance over which fresh farm products could be marketed due to improved transportation facilities, resulted in changed methods for the preservation and distribution of foods and the storage of seasonal surplus production. Today the preservatibn and warehousing of perishable foods are an important part of bur economy, and the health, welfare and well-being of an urban population would suffer if it were necessary to subsist without foods protected by refrigeration. The acceptance by the public of foods preserved by freezing was a slow process, and it is only within the past few years that frozen foods have come to be accepted. The fault was not that of the public but rather that of the food merchants. The industry got off to a bad start because of the use made of so-called ”cold storage”. The early application of refrigeration seemed to be for the purpose of preventing a total loss when the market could not absorb the available supply of fresh foods. All too often such foods -3 - as fish and meats were held on the market as ’’fresh” until deterioration was well under way« This food was then placed in cold storage as a last resort to prevent total loss. Under the circumstances, the public looked upon cold storage foods with considerable suspicion. The industry did little to overcome these objections on the part of the public or try to correct its own weaknesses. Instead, frozen or refrigerated foods were defrosted and then passed off as fresh foods. This suspicion on the part of the public continued to exist until a comparatively few years ago. In fact, the ’’old timers” still to this day will have nothing to do with anything that is, or has been, frozen. This prejudice was well expressed by W. R. Woolrich in the Southern Power Journal, September 1928, when he said, ’’The first mental picture that springs before fully half of the American people when you introduce the subject of cold storage is that of some egg storage rooms from which specimens that are none too fresh are drawn at intervals that are none too frequent.”. However, the last decade, has brought almost universal acceptance of the preservation and freezing of foods of all kinds. With corrections in marketing practices; technological improvements in processing, distribution and salesmanship; and the increased use of mechanical refrigerators and freezer boxes in the home, frozen foods have changed from the category of ’’unusual” to commonplace items on the average American table. There are two basic types of food preservation by means of refrigeration. Cooler facilities, which are maintained between temperature^ of 29° and £0° Fahrenheit, are mainly for the purpose of retarding deterioration processes of fresh foods; and freezer facilities, maintained at temperatures as low as minus 20° Fahrenheit, to arrest such deterioration processes. Therefore, the freezing of foods permits long-term storage and preservation. Before the advent of frozen foods, methods of long-term preservation were limited to canning, cooking, salting, smoking and dehydration. The freezing method has resulted in a form of preservation, which for all practicable purposes, makes fresh food available during any season of the year and in locations far removed from the area of production. The production of concentrated orange juice, which rose from 12.2 million gallons during the 19h8-191i9 pack to an estimated 1^0.0 million gallons in 19^1-19^2, is in itself a striking example of the ever-increasing - 11 - importance of the distribution of frozen products. The availability of seafood to the lower income groups in the interior of the United States during all seasons of the year is an example of the advantages brought about by the freezing method of preservation. The military has recognized the advantages of frozen foods and, from an almost insignificant quantity purchased prior to World War II, the procurement of frozen foods to feed the men and women of the armed services has increased to very significant totals. The military first initiated the procurement of frozen foods in an effort to supply as much fresh meat to overseas troops as possible, by avoiding the relatively short life span of such meats shipped in normal cooling facilities afforded by most ocean vessels. Furthermore, the overseas supply of fresh fruits and vegetables was generally limited to the amount which could be purchased at the local markets in the areas in which the troops were stationed, and it was necessary to supplement that supply by the shipment of canned or dehydrated items from this country. Here again it was found that frozen fruits and vegetables could supplement the fruits and vegetables procured in the local areas, although the quantity which could be shipped was necessarily limited by the availability of refrigerated ship space and freezer storage facilities at destination. At the close of World War II military purchases of frozen fruits and vegetables dwindled and most of the frozen fruits and vegetables procured by the military in 19h.7, 19U8 and 19119 was resold through the commissaries for the use of the families of military and civilian personnel. However, in 19^0 Quartermaster Corps purchases of frozen foods rose to lili million pounds and increased to 92 million pounds in 19^1. For the calendar year 19^2 military purchases exceeded 200 million pounds, or more than 1100^ above 19^0 purchases. It is thus obvious the use of frozen foods has assumed such an important place in both the civilian economy and the military use that it has become an essential element in the national defense program. During the entire period of development, the public refrigerated warehouses have assumed an ever-increasing role in the freezing - £ - and distribution of frozen foods, and in 19^1 such public warehouses provided 169 million cubic feet, or 80$, of the total sharp freezer space (0° Fahrenheit and below) in the United States. This service is extremely important, not only to the civilian economy, but to the armed services as well« Even today, with military procurement of frozen foods at the highest level in history, almost complete reliance is placed on the public refrigerated warehousing industry for the handling and storage of such commodities. Notwithstanding the increase in the consumption of frozen foods, and more particularly frozen fruits, vegetables and concentrated juices, the total amount frozen is still exceptionally small when compared to the over-all amount of such fresh items consumed. But each year sees a continuing growth in the volume of frozen foods, and the extent of the growth is one of the present problems of this Administration and the industry. In considering that problem, three general objectives should be kept in minds (1) the present defense effort must be promoted by effective utilization of existing warehousing facilities; (2) refrigerated warehousing services, adequate to support a high level of economic activity, must be effectively maintained during the present emergency; and (3) refrigerated warehousing facilities should be sufficient to render adequate service during wartime. SECTION II DEFINITIONS AND ASSUMPTIONS For statistical purposes, refrigerated storage space is basically divided into two categories with respect to temperatures maintained. Storage space maintained above 29° Fahrenheit is referred to as ’’cooler“, and space maintained below 29° Fahrenheit is referred to as “freezer“. The “freezer” space is further divided into “normal freezer” (0° to 29° F) and “sharp freezer” (0° F and below)• While these divisions of space are made for statistical purposes, the accepted industry practices may vary somewhat. For example, shell eggs are considered as a cooler item, but will be held in temperatures of 29° F or slightly lower. Also, there are few items maintained at temperatures between 1£° to 29° F; and consequently, little space is maintained at that temperature range. Statistically, “sharp freezer” is any space held below 0° F, and the general application in the industry is space held at approximately - 6 - -20° F or lower. While this study is primarily concerned with projected requirements, the last two Sections, providing statistics concerning capacity and occupancy, are included as historical background and convenient reference» To some extent this information duplicates the publications issued by the United States Department of Agriculture and was largely obtained from that source. Refrigerated warehouses are also generally classified by type .of ownership or by particular speciality. The types of facilities used herein correspond substantially with those used by the United States Department of Agriculture and are defined as follows: Public General Refrigerated Warehouse Any artificially cooled warehouse, the operator of which is engaged in storing food commodities, requiring refrigeration, for others for pay. Private General Refrigerated Warehouse Any artificially cooled warehouse, the operator of which conducts a warehousing business to facilitate his main function as a producer, processor, or distributor but does not store commodities for others for pay. Semiprivate General Refrigerated Warehouse Any artificially cooled warehouse, the operator of which uses part of the space to care for the storage of his own commodities and in addition stores in his plant various food commodities for others for pay. Meat Packing Establishment Any plant engaged in processing dressed animals and animal products for food. For the purposes of this study, only that space which is used for the storage of products is included. 'Working space, chill rooms, and coolers used exclusively for hanging dressed carcasses prior to shipping are excluded. Apple House Any warehouse, public, private, and semiprivate, the owner and operator of which in engaged mainly or exclusively in the storage of apples or pears. - 7 - In any study to determine projected requirements it is necessary that certain basic assumptions be adopted in order to limit the number of factors which affect the results. Obviously, if any of the assumptions do not prove to be accurate, then the conclusions of this study will have to be modified accordingly. The following are the assumptions that have been adopted. 1. That a full-scale national emergency will not occur before the end of 1955. 2. That the Armed Services will not materially alter their present personnel strength. 3. That total national security expenditures and per capita income will remain at approximately the same level as 1951 and 1952. 1| . That the present pattern of marketing and distribution of commodities requiring refrigeratioh will not be materially altered. 5« That there will be no material change in the type of commodities to be stored in refrigerated space. 6. That further expansion of private and semiprivate refrigerated storage facilities will follow the present expansion ratio of public facilities• 7. That the present increased consumption trend of commodities requiring refrigeration will continue. Many of the tabulations and charts present statistics on the basis of geographic regions of the United States. For the purpose of avoiding confusion, the geographic regions adopted correspond with those used by the United States Department of Agriculture in its surveys of refrigerated storage facilities. New England: Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut. Middle Atlantic: New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania. East North Central: Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, and Wisconsin. West North Central: Minnesota, Iowa, Missouri, North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, and Kansas. - 8 - South Atlantic: Delaware, Maryland, District of Columbia, Virginia, West Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida. East South Central: Kentucky, Tennessee, Alabama, and Mississippi. West South Central: Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, and Texas. Mountain: Montana, Idaho, Wyoming, Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona, Utah, and Nevada. Pacific: Washington, Oregon, and California. SECTION III THE GROWTH OF REFRIGERATED STORAGE IN THE UNITED STATES Refrigerated storage started its major development about 1890 when mechanical refrigeration began to assume practical importance, and by October 19£1> a total of 711 million gross cubic feet of such space was available for the storage of perishables. Of this total, £2.7^ is located in public general refrigerated warehouses, 13-3^ in private and semi-private general warehouses, 13*8% in meat packing establishments, 7*1^ in public apple houses, and 13.1^ in private and semiprivate apple houses. Fig. A illustrates the distribution of refrigerated storage space by type of operation as of October 1, 19^1» - 9 - PUBLIC APPLE 50,168,000 CU. FT. 7.1% FIGURE "A" DISTRIBUTION OF GROSS REFRIGERATED STORAGE SPACE IN THE UNITED STATES BY TYPE OF OPERATIONS AS OF OCTOBER 1,1951 INCLUDING "COOLER", "NORMAL FREEZER" AND "SHARP FREEZER" SPACE. From 1921 to 1927 approximately 20 million cubic feet of space per year were added. This increase was stepped up during 1928 and 1929, and by October of the latter year there was a total availability of 729 million cubic feet of refrigerated space. This rapid pace slackened from 1929 to 1931 to about 6 million cubic feet per year, and from 1931 to 1935 there was a net decrease of 30 million cubic feet. However, in 1936, the industry again started to expand and by October 19bl the total capacity rose to 766 million cubic feet. Following the 19hl survey made by the United States Department of Agriculture, the basic questionnaire was changed to reflect only space in meat packing plants used for storage and to eliminate space used for processing. This resulted in an apparent decrease in national total capacity, but there was no actual decrease in space operated. Fig.'B illustrates the growth of refrigerated space from 19U3 to 1951« - 10 - FIGURE "8" DISTRIBUTION OF TOTAL GROSS REFRIGERATED STORAGE SPACE BY TYPE OF WAREHOUSE OCTOBER I, 1943 TO OCTOBER I, 1951. As of October 1991, the total national capacity of refrigerated space stood at 711 million cubic feet. Of this total, 3OU million was "freezer” and almost hO7 million was "cooler" space. The refrigerated warehousing industry not only showed a continued increase in the amount of space operated, but there has been a decided shift in the distribution of this space according to temperature range. Prior to 1939, "freezer" space accounted for less than 29$ of the total refrigerated space, but as of October 1951, "freezer‘s space represents better than k0$ of the total, and more than two-thirds of this is maintained at below 0° Fahrenheit. Cooler space, on the other hand, has decreased since 19U3 by about 10$. Fig. C shows separate trends in "freezer" and "cooler" storage capacity from 19U3 to 1991 for all types of warehouses. - 11 - FIGURE “G" DISTRIBUTION OF FREEZER AND COOLER SPACE BY TYPE OF WAREHOUSE MILLIONS OF CUBIC FEET 0F CUBIC FEET 1943 1945 1947 1949 1951 1943 1945 1947 1949 1951 FREEZER STORAGE SPACE COOLER STORAGE SPACE - 12 - Convertible Space There is a considerable amount of refrigerated storage space capable of being maintained at either ’»cooler” or ’’freezer” temperatures., By a comparatively simple adjustment of the refrigeration equipment, the space is convertible from one type to the other. Table I shows, by regions, the amount of such convertible space in public general refrigerated warehouses, as well as such convertible space in public apple houses. Powered Materials Handling Equipment In recent years, the use of powered materials handling equipment in public refrigerated warehouses has been increasing at a rapid pace, but no formal survey was made prior to October 1951. In that year, this Administration requested the Department of Agri- ‘ culture to include certain additional questions in its biennial survey which would indicate the extent the industry had adopted powered materials handling methods. The purpose was to determine general factors concerning the average relationship between space operated and mechanical equipment employed. It was not intended to determine what an average.warehouse should have in order to be considered adequately mechanized, bub what equipment the industry actually had on the average for both a national and regional basis. Such a factor would be used by DTA as a claimant agency in order to estimate national requirements for maintenance, repair and operating supplies during an emergency. However, the allocation of such supplies under emergency conditions would be made on the basis of actual mechanization of the particular facility involved and not on the basis of average factors. While,it is recognized that the use of materials handling equipment is more closely related to volume of materials handled than to space operated, the factors established by the latter method are sufficient for planning and claimant purposes, and avoids the necessity of recurring reports from the industry on the number of tons handled. . Table 2 shows, by regions, the amount of gross storage space that is either partially or fully palletized in public general refrigerated warehouses only. Table 3 shows, by regions, the number of fork lift trucks and the number per 100,000 cubic feet of gross space in the public general refrigerated warehouses that reported either partial or full palletization. - 13 - TABLE 1 - SPACE IN PUBLIC REFRIGERATED WAREHOUSES CONVERTIBLE BETWEEN «COOLER« AND «FREEZER« TEMPERATURES Region Public General Refrigerated Warehouses Public Apple Houses No. Firms Report* ing Gross Space Reported Gross Space Convertible No. Firms Reporting Gross Space Reported Gross Space Convertible TOTAL U. S. 603 ÇÔu. Ft.) ÇCU. Ft. ) ICu. Ft.) ;cu. #t.) 370,687,321* 57,701,211 50,168,922 115,275 New England 30 17,098,528 1,815,1*11* 7 715,1*11* 0 Middle Atlantic 133 98,598,351 9,370,61*7 1*2 13,708,091* 23,000 East North Central 86 77,012,582 8,188,288 21* 3,673,061 10,000 West North Central 62 38,835,265 6,567,201 6 60^,014 0 South Atlantic 78 32,91*5,355 2,961*,189 21* 15,971,191* 0 East South Central 21* 11,1OU,263 2,1*32,1*28 Not Reported Not Reported West South Central té 23,217,887 10,11*7,833 2 168,276 0 Mountain 21* 6,751,790 511*,723 1 8,500 0 Pacific 121 65,123,303 15,700,1*88 35 15,319,369 82,275 - Ui - TABLE 2 - PALLETIZATION OF PUBLIC GENERAL REFRIGERATED WAREHOUSES ® ® r-1 Md nd $ ® rH t -p 3\ * I s 1A ca * o CM * CM U\ •X Ox CA MD •X CO CA _«x ¿0 XA •X o co o «X O\ p -p «H O o -P 2 3 & a h £ • CM •x ca MD * o «A o m O\ •* m o s * vO O co KO v\ o •X o d In o O d cu o rH O LA Ox CA Ox CO CA CM CA . 'd ® o d • C*“ o * K 1A •x «X xO 1A CM «k CM 1A H •X •x O O •X co CA «X CO CO CA •X 1A "LA O •X s ® •rl ® h 0« a, co w co o Id CD Pm • g ca >o rl * § juices and vegetables almost parallel fluctuations in annual production rates. Thus there is an indication that the principal factor affecting the expansion of ’’freezer” space has been increased holdings of frozen fruits, juices and vegetables. While there have been some increases in the holdings of the other commodities, they have been minor when compared to increases in fruits, juices and vegetables. In 193^, the year-end holdings*of these latter items were relatively unimportant, and even in 19U1 ’such holdings represented only a little more than 20^ of total holdings. Today the year-end holdings of these same items represent about £0^ of the total. It therefore becomes apparent that the future expansion of ’’freezer” space will be related to increases in the packs of frozen fruits, juices and vegetables. This is further illustrated by Fig. G and Table which show the year-end ’’freezer” stocks in pounds of frozen food items in all types of warehouses. - 23 - FIGURE "G n YEAR END FREEZER STOCKS OF ALL FOOD ITEMS, ACTUAL AND ESTIMATED IN ALL PUBLIC, SEMI-PRIVATE AND PRIVATE WAREHOUSES 1935 - 1951 MILLIONS OF POUNDS MILLIONS OF POUNJJS “I 2,500 2,000 1,500 1,000 500 o 1935 1936 1937 1938 1939 1940 1941 1942 1943 1944 1945 1946 1947 1948 1949 1950 1951 1952 - 24 - TABLE U - YEAR END FREEZER STOCKS OF ALL FOOD ITEMS, ACTUAL AND ESTIMATED, IN PUBLIC PRIVATE, AND SEMI-PRIVATE REFRIGERATED WAREHOUSES - 1935 THROUGH 1952 (Figures Expressed in Millions of Pounds) Year 1952 72 287 VX XO CM vx 291 «n vx 1807 TT9 CO Ox CM CM o CM ox VX m § Ox CM xO co CO Q CXI CM 1950 O CM CO CM “in Ox CM § vx CM Ox F o CM Ox Cx Ox CM co o 3 CM Q Or a net gain of "cooler" space to the extent of 2U million cubic feet. However, the reduction in "cooler" space in public general and meat packing warehouses resulted in a total over-all loss of 43 million cubic feet of "cooler" space between 19h3 and 19^1. Fig. H and Table 6 show the distribution of gross "cooler" storage space in all types of refrigerated warehouses from 191+3 to 19^1. The continuing need for "cooler" space is also illustrated by Fig. J on page 3U, which shows the number of pounds of commodities in "cooler" storage by month from 19U6 to 19^2 for all types of refrigerated warehouses. It would appear from Fig. H and Table 6 that public refrigerated warehouses have reduced their available capacity of "cooler" space while private and semiprivate refrigerated warehouses have increased such capacity. However, it cannot be concluded that present operators of public general facilities actually reduced the amount of "cooler" space they previously operated to any appreciable extent. A part of this shift is undoubtedly due to the fact that many private and semiprivate warehouses made space available during World War II for the storage of government commodities and thus reported the space during that period as "public" space. Following the termination of hostilities, this service was discontinued and the reporting of such space has shifted to. "private" or "semiprivate". Another factor that may have contributed to the apparent increase in private and semiprivate "cooler" space is the increased coverage obtained in later space surveys as against the earlier ones. However, it is not believed that the total effect of these two factors is of sufficient importance to materially distort the trend as reflected. - 29 - FIGURE "H" DISTRIBUTION OF COOLER STORAGE SPACE BY TYPE OF WAREHOUSE 1943- 1951 „C ^IPUU MILLIONS OF CUBIC FEET OF CUBIC FEET 1943 1945 1947 1949 1951 - 30 - TABLE 6 - DISTRIBUTION OF COOLER STORAGE SPACE BY TYPE OF WAREHOUSE AS OF OCTOBER 19h3 THROUGH 1951 Type of Warehouse Gross Cooler Storage Space (Millions of Cubic Feet) 19U3 19U5 191*7 191*9 1951 Public General 18? 188 185 173 156 Private and Semi-Private General 16 20 25 39 1*7 Public, Private and SemiPrivate Apple Houses 119 115 127 139 137 Meat Packing Es tablishment s 127 100 97 85 66 TOTAL UH9 1*23 U3U h36 h06 Notwithstanding the increase in the number of pounds of commodities in "cooler” storage, the per capita availability of "cooler” space has decreased from 2.39 cubic feet in 19hl to 2.22 cubic feet in 1951, and it therefore has not kept pace with the growing population of the United States. It would thus appear that the per capita consumption of commodities requiring "cooler" storage is down, and this is probably due to greater use of "freezer” items. Table 7 shows the biennial change in the per capita availability of cooler space from 19hl to 1951, excluding meat packing establishments. The change in availability of "cooler” space in public refrigerated warehouses has not been uniform in all geographical regions of the United States. For the purpose of comparison, Table 8 shows the biennial changes by region of "cooler” space in public refrigerated warehouses, public apple houses included, for the period 19^3 to 1951. - 31 - TABLE 7 - NUMBER OF CUBIC FEET OF “COOLER” REFRIGERATED STORAGE SPACE AVAILABLE PER PERSON IN THE UNITED STATES, EXCLUDING MEAT PACKING ESTABLISHMENTS, 19U - 19^1 Type of Facility Year i9ia 191*3 191*5 191*7 191*9 1951 Public General and Public Apple Houses 1.83 1.82 1.69 1.61 1.1*9 1.31* Private and Semi-Private General and Apple Houses iti .56 .55 .62 .72 .87 .88 TOTAL 2.39 2.37 2.31 2.33 2.36 2.22 TABLE 8 - TOTAL ®OSS “COOLER” STORAGE SPACE IN PUBLIC GENERAL REFRIGERATED WAREHOUSES AND PUBLIC APPLE HOUSES BY REGIONS, 19U3 - 1951 Region YEAR (Thousands of Cubic Feet) . 19h3 191*5 191*7 19U9 1951 ALL REGIONS 21*7,Ohl 237,232 n 232,332 221,721 201*,558 New England 7,525 6,U5U 6,1UO 5,1*69 5,006 Middle Atlantic 73,81*7 71,371 66,525 70,015 60,285 East North Central 53,831* 56,625 55,055 1*3,679 1*2,071* West North Central 17,351* ( 16,535 16,173 16,381 1U,U6O South Atlantic 29,182 <31,551 32,566 31,592 29,516 East South Central 6,221* 5,557 5,517 . , 5,871 h,711 , , West South Central 9,857 9,ol»l* 9,028 V 2,699 y 7,689 7,703 y 2,189 y Mountain 2,898 2,852 2,1*55 Pacific 1*6,320 37,21*3 38,629 38,570 38,611* 1/ Includes a small amount of space in apple houses in the Mountain Region* 5/ Does not include the small amount of space included in Footnote 1/ above* - 32 - TABLE 9 - DISTRIBUTION OF "COOLER" STORAGE SPACE BETWEEN PUBLIC GENERAL REFRIGERATED WAREHOUSES AND PUBLIC APPLE HOUSES, BI REGIONS, AS OF OCTOBER 1, 1951 Region (Thoi Public General GROSS SPACE isands of Cubic F Public Apple eet) TOTAL ALL REGIONS I56,iia U8,1i17 2oli,558 New England 11,298 708 5,oo6 Middle Atlantic 117,175 13,110 60,285 East North Central 38,li6li 3,610 ll2,O71i West North Central 13,855 60^ lh,h60 South Atlantic Ui,li02 15,nli 29,516 East South Central 11,711 a» ll, 711 West South Central 7,538 165 V 7,703 V Mountain 2,189 - £/ 2,189 Pacific 23,509 15,105 38,61li 1/ Includes a small amount of space in apple houses in the Mountain Region* 2/ Does not include the small amount of space included in Footnote 1/ * above. - 33 - Occupancy of "Cooler” Space The occupancy of "cooler” storage space in public general refrigerated warehouses has remained comparatively low since before World War II* During the war there were a few times when the occupancy went above 80^ but this did not last for any prolonged period of time and, generally speaking, such occupancy has remained well below the 80% figure* Table 10 and Fig* I show the reported percentage of occupancy of "cooler" space in public general refrigerated warehouses. TABLE 10 - PERCENTAGE OF OCCUPANCY OF "COOLER" STORAGE SPACE IN PUBLIC GENERAL REFRIGERATED WAREHOUSES, 19b6 - 1952__________________________ Month Year (0ccuoanc.v exoressed in Percentage) 191»6 19117 19l»8 19b9 1950 1951 1952 January 60 65 69 52 59 65 59 February 62 62 65 b8 55 60 57 March 67 61 59 b8 5b 60 59 April 75 65 62 1*9 5b 59 59 May 77 68 65 5o 56 62 61 June 79 71» 67 52 60 65 63 July 76 77 67 53 61 6b 63 August 80 76 65 53 6b 65 63 September 78 73 6b 6o 63 65 65 October 80 76 6b 68 72 69 69 November 77 78 59 67 71 66 68 December 69 71» 5b 6b 67 63 6b Annual Average 73.3 70*8 63.3 55.3 61.3 63.6 62.5 By comparing Fig. H with the percentage of occupancy figures in Table 10, it will be noted that the sharp decline in available ’’cooler" space in public general refrigerated warehouses (Fig. H), which started in corresponds with the low annual average occupancy in 19b9 (Table 10)* However, percentage figures do not always reveal the actual trend because of the variations in the amount of available space. Fig. J shows the number of pounds of commodities in "cooler" storage by month from 19b6 to 1952 for all types of warehouses. - 3b - FMAMJJASONDJFMAMJJASONDJFMAMJJASONDJFMAMJJASONDJFMAMJJASONDJFMAMJJASONDJFMAMJJASOND 1946 194? 1948 1949 1950 1951 1952 FIGURE "I" PERCENTAGE OF OCCUPANCY OF COOLER STORAGE SPACE IN PUBLIC GENERAL REFRIGERATED WAREHOUSES 1946 - 1952 ,UUU J F M A M J J A S 0 N D J F M A M J J A S 0 N D J F M A M J J A S 0 N D J F M A M J J A S 0 N D J F M A M J J A S 0 N D J F M A M J J A S 0 N D J F M A M J J A S 0 N D ’ 1946 1947 1948 1949 1950 1951 1952 TOTAL WEIGHT OF COOLER COMMODITIES IN ALL TYPES OF WAREHOUSES AT END OF MONTH, 1946 - 1952 The storage pattern of ’’cooler” occupancy also varies among the various regions. For the purpose of comparison, the reported occupancy of such ’’cooler” space in public general refrigerated warehouses for each of the nine regions covering the years 19^0, 19^1 and 19^2 is shown in Fig. K and Table 11. The chart also shows the national average occupancy. Based upon the assumptions previously referred to and the occupancy trend of ’’cooler” space in public general refrigerated warehouses, it is concluded by this Administration that there is at present a sufficient reserve of ’’cooler” space in such public warehouses to absorb the initial impact of a full-scale emergency. Under these circumstances, no attempt has been made in this study to project long term future requirements for public general ’’cooler” storage space. - 37 - FIGURE "K" PERCENTAGE OF COOLER OCCUPANCY IN PUBLIC GENERAL REFRIGERATED WAREHOUSES, BY REGION, COMPARED WITH NATIONAL AVERAGE 1950 - 1952 - 38 - TABLE 11 - PERCENTAGE OF "COOLER" OCCUPANCY AT END OF MONTH TN PUBLIC GENERAL REFRIGERATED WAREHOUSES, BY REGIONS, 19^0 - 1952 Tear and Month CM Ox Dec. 8 39 $ S CO ¿9 Fi OL ¿5 72 JÎOV. s CM 71 66 60 8 Ox S 8 P Oct. s co a# CM S 61 69 £ s 72 P Sept. x© 8 S § CM x© CM X© Ox 00 8 8 66 Aug. S 9 “9 129 4—1 3-9 18 1U7 1910 1112 1 1113 16 «è 16 159 19115 163 3 166 20 1 21 187 19117 1711 2 176 27 11 31 207 19119 189 2 191 la 1 112 233 1951 218 2 220 117 11 51 271 — Does not include Meat Packing Establishments« The public refrigerated warehousemen have not only increased the total amount of available »freezer” space but, with respect to »sharpfreezer”, they have more than doubled the per capita, availability since 1939* The per capita amount of »normal freezer” space, however, has remained almost constant, which means that this classification of space has just about kept pace with the increasing population. Table Hi shows the per capita increase of ’’freezer” and »sharp freezer” space from 1939 to 1951 in public general refrigerated warehouses* - Ill - TABLE - PER CAPITA CROSS CUBIC FEET OF ’’FREEZER” STORAGE SPACE IN PUBLIC REFRIGERATED WAREHOUSES 1939 - 1951 Type of Space TEAR (Cubic Feet Per Person) 1939 i9i»i 191*3 191*5 191*7 191*9 1951 Normal Freezer (0° to 29° F. ) 0.32 0.31* 0.U2 o.Ho o.ia 0.38 0.33 Sharp Freezer (0° F. and Below) o.5o 0.63 0.63 0.79 0.81 0.90 1.10 Since private and semiprivate facilities also show increases in ”sharp freezer” space, the per capita increase in "sharp freezer” space would indicate an increasing demand and consumption of foods which require temperatures below 0° Fahrenheit. This fact is further supported by an analysis of new construction in 19$2 of public general refrigerated warehouses. The facilities constructed in that year were almost entirely in the ’’freezer" category, and by far the greatest percentage was space that is either operated as, or can be converted to operation as, "sharp freezer”. It might also be of interest to note the distribution of this increase in "normal freezer" and "sharp freezer" space among the various geographical regions. Table 15 shows the biennial change, by region, of "normal freezer” and "sharp freezer" space in public general refrigerated warehouses and public apple houses from 19^3 to 1951. This Table includes figures for both public general warehouses and public apple houses. However, it should be noted that public apple houses maintain only a small amount of "freezer" space. This is illustrated by Table 16, which shows the distribution of "normal freezer" and "sharp freezer" storage space between public general refrigerated warehouses and public apple houses as of October 1, 1951* - U2 - TABLE 15 - GROSS FREEZER STORAGE SPACE IN PUBLIC GENERAL REFRIGERATED WAREHOUSES AND PUBLIC APPLE HOUSES, BY REGION, 19h3 - 1951 O -p o O Os o CM co H * vs 3,106 10,632 8,192 3,180 6,683 1,676 2,136 238 vs CM ns * vs vs os Below 0° F. 169,388 12,680 o co * Os •x o ns o o co •x CM co * CM nS CO Os •x 13,787 2/ CMl v\ CM ns O * sO CM os 5 * o O Os O CM 57,239 co vs •X vs ns ? a Os Os VS •x o CM * ns vs C*«- * VS n-CM co ^•x CO A CM J Os CM •x rd Space ?eet) "äs rd Below 0° F. sO Os CM •x ns rd CM â * co 33,UU 30,000 co sO CM •x o CM CM CM ns •X VS VS 8 «X SO CM rd <*S CO VS «X m VS OS ication of ross Cubic ] o O O\ O CM ns 75s •x CO VS Os o •X ns 13,926 Os co •X CM C*S ns CO •x CM ns CO ns •x vs ns § Os •x o o •X CM m Os m •X <*S rd Os CM •x (5s H ©o » o 8*1’1*011 CO CO •x 29,156 30,739 Os H •x Os rd o ns CM ns OS •X CM O •x JH-^H-*3Hhoprxopr-H H XO VI H QxOxUXOx-^jVXprt'hoprpr'Qx OO Q\ Ox VX VX VX no O pr VX xo o 191*6 Other no io no H H H H H H W H VxOOOOxOoprhoHHhoOx nohoooRI-’HVxOxhohovoH 1951 -q -O -4 O0Oxpr-C“pr-VXVXOx XO OOprioovxoo^'t’Wxopr -J no Ox ox xo ox pr- XO H ho VX xo Ox TOTAL nonononononoHHHHHno WWMMWWWWWWVW ho ro H O O O oo -4 Ox ~V xo o ho OP*OxpTXn-4Pr—44S-OVX hOhOXOOxVX-4hoHVXO“4xo 1951 prpr-prprprhohono no ho ho ho VX -4 xo -4 H -4 H xo XO O P no ho Ox pr VX H OOxo no XO VX pr VX 191*6 Percent Fruits, Juices and Vegetables to Total prprvxvxvxprprhovohoho ho P *4 fx> ho O Ox W OO SI so XO *0 • o • • • • • •••• • no oo ho o -4 ho no ho Ox h vx O to vx - 1*8 - FIGURE "M" WEIGHTS OF COMMODITIES IN FREEZER STORAGE AT END OF MONTH, COMPARING 1946 WITH 1951 IN ALL TYPES OF REFRIGERATED WAREHOUSES - 49 - A mare detailed tabulation of number of pounds of commodities in storage is given in Table 20, which reflects this data on a monthly basis from September 19hh through 1952. This tabulation also Includes all types of refrigerated facilities» including private, semiprivate and public warehouses. Fig. N is also included to graphically illustrate the tabulated figures. TABLE 20 - TOTAL WEIGHT OF FREEZER COMMODITIES IN ALL TYPES OF WAREHOUSES AT END OF MONTH, 19hh - 19# Month YEAR AND WEIGHT (Millions of Pounds) 191*1* 191*5 191*6 191*7 191*8 191*9 1950 1951 1952 January 1200 161x5 1801 1911* 1615 1831 2062 2333 February 1055 1593 1692 1805 1520 1713 1871 2295 March 977 1536 1603 1621* 1365 1595 1762 2251 April 1009 H*h2 11*98 11*81 1282 151*0 1686 2216 May 1127 11*1*7 11*91* 11*83 1279 1535 1775 2231 June 1350 Hx81x 1570 1573 1379 161*9 191*5 2330 July 1563 1656 1707 1621 11*67 1713 20h9 2288 August 1611 1809 171*2 1588 11*99 1771* 2091* 2207 September 16U8 1635 1726 1690 1506 1531* 1826 2066 2163 October 1602 1657 171*6 1722 11*98 1592 1917 211*9 221*5 November 11*76 161x5 1783 1779 151*7 1656 1955 2219 2266 December 1387 161*9 1797 1936 161*7 1796 2039 2291 21x18 SONDJFMAMJJASONDJFMAMJJASONDJFMAMJJASONDJFMAMJJASONDJFMAMJJASONDJFMAMJJASONDJFMAMJJASONDJFMAMJJASOND 1944 1945 1’946 1947 1948 1949 1950 1951 1952 FIGURE "R" TOTAL WEIGHT OF FREEZER COMMODITIES IN ALL TYPES OF WAREHOUSES AT END OF MONTH, 1944 - 1952 - 51 - A comparison of ’’freezer” occupancy with ’’cooler” space clearly indicates the substantially higher occupancy of ’’freezer” facilities. The peak occupancy for ”freezer” space occurred in February 19UU when an all-time high of $2% was recorded. However, it should be noted that due to increased availability of ’’freezer” space the volume of commodities in storage has increased by the end of 19^2 even though the percentage of occupancy was lower than in February l^UHo As of December 31, 19^1, which was the peak period for that year, the over-all occupancy for ’’freezer” space was 83%o However, seven of the nine regions reported an occupancy above the national average. The occupancy pattern of the different geographical regions differs, and for purposes of comparison, Table 21 shows the occupancy of ”freezer” space in public general refrigerated warehouses by region for the years 19f>0, 19^1 and 19^2. Figure 0 shows the occupancy for each region as compared with the national average. It should be noted that, with the exception of the West South Central Region, all regions recorded a peak occupancy of ’’freezer” space at some time during 19^2 of at least 8^. It is also of interest that within each regional area the occupancy rate of ’’freezer” space in the larger metropolitan areas was above the average for the region. This would indicate that the lower occupancy generally occurs in the smaller cities and in the rural areas. Thus, even though over-all occupancy figures might appear to indicate the availability of some space, such space may well be out of line with normal distribution channels and may not be usable without increasing the workload on the transportation system. Approximately of the total ”freezer” space in public general refrigerated warehouses is located in 18 cities. On December 31> 19^2, each of these cities, except Cleveland and Kansas City, showed an occupancy of 83^ or higher, and 9 cities showed occupancy of 90^ or over. Table 22 shows the 18 cities and their reported occupancy of ’’freezer” space, quarterly, from December 19^1 to December 19^2. . - £2 - TABLE 21 - PERCENTAGE OF FREEZER OCCUPANCY IN PUBLIC GENERAL REFRIGERATED WAREHOUSES BY MONTH, 1950 - 1952 Year and Month o >e CO xO CM CO £ co b- o CO CO CM xO CO 8 Nov. co us CO CM co s Ox xO co co V\ co CM CO Oct. CD CO co CM CO CM CM b- co Os , b-co CO Sept, co b- £ CO s xO CM XO co 8 o GO co Aug. co p co CO £ p Ox co May US so co co co o co 3 co xO Apr. ^2 £ co & co co CM xO co CM xO Mar. co -2 CO 8x œ Ox XO XO co °Q xO Feb. co co Os xO co st co co co xO Os -3 S co co CM CO co co CO CM Ox •2 £ b- Ox Dec. co CM Ox 1A CO GO co Ox co & 3 Ox 8 Nov. co st co CO co g s xO CM Ox s Oct. CO CM Ox go co pi co Ox CO to XO co co Sept. œ & co Ox R Os co CM xO CO CO Aug. co CM CO S co xO b* CM co œ XO CM p July XO Q CO o co co Q GO co GO CM xO Ox xO o June p o p £ co o co co co sä g 3 May R 3 R b- co co S xO xO SA Apr. Ox ox co co p p v\ OX XO VS Mar. CM £ p xO co co £ 8 to Feb. £ GO p o CO p co G p 3 I Jan. Q CO CO co CM CO xO CO s GO o GO S R CM 0561 Dec. co b-co CO CO co 8 co 8 GO CO xO Nov. Ox CO Ox b- Ox xO co 53 CO Ox o 2— co CM b- CO £ %o us XO co Ox co CO Sept. -2 xO co CM, b- R co o co CM Aug. P O b- b- xO Q co 3 CO co co xO July £ $ R Ox co P 8 GO \O June Ox xO 3 CO xO co P R Ox to xO May 3 to xO xO CM CO P s Ox xO US Apr. xO b-xO 8 R co pi Q GO 8 CM Ox Mar. 3 R CM CO CM CO us CM 3 Feb. 8 CM b- CO -2 Q co co CO 3 S w\ co pl R co £ CM co co o co Region National Average New England Middle Atlantic East North Central ' West North Central South Atlantic East South Central West South Central Mountain Pacific - 53 - . L FICO HE "O' PERCENTAGE OF FREEZER OCCUPANCY IN PUBLIC GENERAL REFRIGERATED WAREHOUSES, BY REGION, COMPARED WITH NATIONAL AVERAGE 1950 -1952 - 54 - TABLE 22 - OCCUPANCY OF FREEZER SPACE IN PUBLIC GENERAL REFRIGERATED WAREHOUSES IN SELECTED CITIES Selected Cities DATE AND PERCENTAGE OF OCCUPANCY December 31, 1951 March 30, 1952 June 30, 1952 September 30, 1952 December 31, 1952 New York 82 80 89 85 K 83^ Philadelphia 87 85 87 86 90 Pittsburgh 95 85 89 g ■ Cleveland 93 83 77 91 78 Chicago 78 86 78 70 8h Detroit 90 8U 89 92 87 Milwaukee y y 89 85 y Minneapolis 93 96 91 81 93 St. Louis 85 91* 93 59 88 Kansas City 85 ®85 87 65 79 Norfolk 95 91 1*2 82 90 Nashville 8U 1*0 91 86 86 New Orleans 80 " 95 91* 85 90 Seattle 88 7U 67 93 88 Los Angeles 91* 86 8U 88 82 San Francisco 96 97 97 98 91* San Jose 90 71* 81 87 91 Modesto 92 y 62 61 85 1/ Insufficient Returns. - 55 - Based upon the assumptions previously referred to and the occupancy trend of "freezer” space in public general refrigerated warehouses, it is concluded by the Defense Transport Administration that by the end of 1955 the requirement for such public "freezer" space will be 259 million gross cubic feet, which represents an expansion of approximately 30 million gross cubic feet over the amount in operation at the end of 1952. - 56 -