Kraft Foods Distribution Center Springfield Underground Springfield, Missouri

http://www.wired.com/magazine/2011/01/ff_caverns_safeguard/3/ 


I came across this article this morning and it made me refect on what's happening in our own fridges at the moment. I'm delighted that my fridge is now filled with fresh produce rather than processed food:


"Nearly every ounce of Kraft cheese product—from Velveeta to Kraft Singles—spends part of its life in a 680-pound container inside this 400,000-square-foot subterranean fridge. It’s not about aging, it’s about cheap storage: Moving refrigeration underground saves massive amounts of energy, since the temperature 100 feet down is a constant 58 degrees Fahrenheit. An aboveground pump sends 13,000 gallons of chilled brine through the system every day, keeping the warehouse at a cool 36 degrees. The Kraft facility is actually part of a massive complex that started as a limestone mine in 1946. (The mine is still operational, but a substantial earthen buffer shields the employees of Kraft and other companies from regular explosions.)"