The port of Rotterdam is the gateway to the European market, representing nearly 500 million consumers. 9 million tonnes of fresh and frozen products come into this port every year and 15 million tons are exported. After the USA, Rotterdam is the biggest exporter of fresh products in the world.
In the port of Rotterdam, the goods are not only transported, but processed as well. This includes fruit ripening facilities for products that are delivered in unripe conditions, and measures to control their shelf-life, allowing us to have year-round access to almost all products. The Rotterdam port therefore plays a key role in the distribution of vegetables, fruit, meat and fish and other refrigerated and frozen products all over the world.
During the World Expo in Milan, Rotterdam will be profiling itself as the world’s front-runner in the area of knowledge and innovation in the food sector, among other things. Specifically for the Expo, the Rotterdam Port Authority had developed a 360-degree virtual reality experience. The movie about the food sector and the role that the port of Rotterdam plays in it can be seen there until October with 3D glasses; a 2D version is now also available on YouTube.
The film not only shows the incoming container ships, the container operation at the ECT terminal, and the distribution centre for The Greenery; we also see the Koppert-Cress greenhouses, aerial pictures of Westland, and local locations where the food is ultimately bought and consumed, such as Markthal & FG Foodlabs.
The watcher experiences a 360° view of the steps that refrigerated and frozen products have taken, seeing with their very own eyes why the port of Rotterdam plays such a prominent role in the distribution of fresh products worldwide.
