When refrigeration is looked at from a global  perspective, it is easy to discover the haves and the have nots. Developed  countries like the United States, Canada and most nations in Europe have  refrigeration systems that protect food where it is gathered at the source,  transported in refrigerated containers to well-functioning and safe warehouses  and distribution centers, and then brought even closer to customers for access  from refrigerated cases. But in developing countries, the refrigeration aspect  is missing in almost every step along the cold chain. That concern formed the  basis for much of the talk during a panel presentation at the recent  International Institute of Ammonia Refrigeration (www.iiar.org) Conference in Nashville, Tennessee, the USA.  Titled ‘Global View of Industrial Refrigeration’, the five panelists looked at  what was described as ‘current problems, prospects and legal hurdles’. P.  Sudhir Kumar of the Association of Ammonia Refrigeration (www.ammoniaindia.org) talked about the situation in India. While  issues related to safety and proper operation of equipment, the challenges  include lack of specialized factory inspectors and outdated standards. Another  challenge is natural refrigerants like ammonia gaining a greater foothold in a  country that relies mainly on synthetic refrigerants. “We natural gas advocates  are ants and they (the f-gas users) are elephants.” In one state in India,  there is a requirement to change out a system from ammonia to HCFC-22.He said  his organization, AAR, is working to improve all aspects of refrigeration in  India with a special focus on the training needs. (Source: ACHR News, August 6, 2014)