At the start of the pandemic, it became clear very quickly that the cold chain was a priority. 

Manufacturers and distributors committed to ensuring the food supply chain would continue working as an essential industry. The focus later expanded to figure out how the cold chain would also be used to successfully deliver a temperature-sensitive COVID-19 vaccine to billions across the globe, once a viable option was ready. 

By September, months of demand had tested U.S. cold storage — pressuring outdated facilities without time to build many new ones, JLL reported. But the challenge offered an opportunity for companies to innovate and invest in new distribution strategies as the world waited for a vaccine to be announced.

And now, as Pfizer awaits an emergency approval from the Food and Drug Administration, its logistics partners say they are ready to deliver the vaccine. Will they be successful? 

Read the articles below to see how the cold chain took center stage this year as suppliers shuffled to accommodate demand and carriers continue to shift to meet the call.