Shaivee Malik: Young Engineer Reducing Food Waste
A large amount of food produced in India is lost or spoiled before it reaches consumers. Fruits, vegetables, milk, and other fresh products need to be kept at the right temperature during transportation. However, India’s cold-chain system still faces several challenges.
Shaivee Malik, a 25-year-old engineer, is working to address this problem. She wants to develop better ways to keep perishable food fresh while it is being transported from farms and production centres to markets.
One of the major problems is the lack of proper cooling systems in many food transport trucks. Refrigerated trucks need continuous power to keep their storage areas cold. In many existing systems, the cooling unit depends on the truck’s engine.
This means the engine may need to keep running even when the truck is stopped. As a result, the vehicle uses more fuel and produces additional carbon emissions. This can increase transportation costs and also have a negative effect on the environment.
Malik studied biotechnology at IIT Delhi. During her college years, she was part of a racing car team called Axlr8r. Working with the team gave her practical experience in engineering, machine design, and solving technical problems.
Later, Malik joined hands with her friends Vivek Mahindrakar and Dharmik Bapodara. Together, they began working on a technology that could provide a better way to keep food products cold during transportation.
The three young engineers were also interested in finding solutions to environmental problems. They saw an opportunity to work on India’s cold-chain industry, which plays an important role in moving food and other temperature-sensitive products across the country.
A strong cold-chain system can help reduce food waste by keeping products fresh for longer periods. It can also help farmers and businesses reduce losses during transportation and storage.
The team wants to make refrigeration more efficient while reducing the amount of fuel used by transport vehicles. Their approach could help reduce emissions and make the movement of food more environmentally friendly.
The challenge is particularly important in a country as large as India, where food often travels long distances before reaching consumers. Better cooling technology could help maintain food quality during these journeys.
Malik’s work shows how young engineers can use technology to address both economic and environmental problems. By improving transportation systems, the team hopes to reduce food waste while supporting a cleaner and more efficient supply chain.
If such technology can be used on a larger scale, it could benefit farmers, transport companies, food businesses, and consumers. It could also contribute to India’s efforts to reduce food losses and lower emissions from transportation.
The work of Malik and her team is an example of how engineering and innovation can be used to solve everyday problems. Their focus on improving India’s cold-chain system could play a role in creating a more sustainable way to transport fresh food in the future.