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How did refrigerated shipping bring distant farms to London’s market?

In 1882, the Dunedin carried frozen meat from New Zealand to London. Keeping a cargo cold changed what could survive the journey, but it did not make the new trade consistently profitable overnight. The voyage links an everyday purchase to machinery, shipping costs, and farmers on the other side of the world.

3–7 min

Questions you could explore

  • What had to work besides the refrigeration machinery?
  • How did the opportunities for farmers change once the trade became established?

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