New 'FRIDGE Act' Authorizes $1 Million Annually to Fix Broken Cold Chains in Foreign Markets

The Fortifying Refrigeration Infrastructure and Developing Global Exports Act of 2025—or the FRIDGE Act—is a surprisingly straightforward piece of legislation aimed squarely at boosting U.S. agricultural exports. Starting in fiscal year 2026 and running through 2030, this bill authorizes $1 million annually to specifically tackle a major bottleneck: the terrible infrastructure in foreign markets that causes American food to spoil before it can be sold.

The Real Problem With Selling Food Overseas

If you’ve ever had a package delayed or damaged, you know how frustrating supply chains can be. Now imagine that supply chain involves fresh food halfway across the world. Congress identified that one of the biggest reasons U.S. farmers and food producers aren't selling more overseas isn't a lack of demand, but a lack of reliable infrastructure once the product hits foreign soil. The bill specifically notes that millions of dollars worth of fresh and frozen exports are lost every year because the "cold chain"—the system of refrigerated storage and transport—is inadequate in developing nations (Sec. 2).

How Uncle Sam Plans to Fix Foreign Freezers

Instead of just running generic trade promotions, the FRIDGE Act zeroes in on technical assistance. The Secretary of Agriculture is authorized to contract with "qualified trade groups" to assess needs and provide training to improve things like cold storage capacity and port facilities in foreign markets (Sec. 3). Think of it as sending in a team of supply chain engineers and logistics experts. The goal is to build up the physical systems so that when a container of U.S. beef or fresh fruit arrives, it doesn't immediately sit on a hot dock or get moved into a broken warehouse.

Why This Matters to You

While this bill doesn't directly affect your grocery bill today, it’s about market access for U.S. producers. When American farmers and food companies can reliably sell more products abroad, it stabilizes their businesses and helps the overall agricultural sector. For instance, if a farmer in Idaho can rely on a solid cold chain in Southeast Asia, they can confidently increase production of specialized crops—meaning fewer market gluts here at home and stronger economic stability for rural communities. This dedicated funding stream of $1 million annually for five years (FY 2026 through FY 2030) ensures that fixing infrastructure is a priority, not just an afterthought in trade talks.

The Fine Print: Who Gets the Contract?

The bill is clear that the money must be spent on this specific technical assistance, but it does leave some room for interpretation. The contracts will go to "qualified trade groups" (Sec. 3), but the bill doesn't define what makes a group “qualified.” This means the Secretary of Agriculture has significant discretion in choosing who gets the contract to run these programs. While this allows flexibility to pick the best experts, it also means we'll need to watch closely to see which groups get selected and how effectively they use the funds to build up those foreign freezers and ports.