Developing countries could save 144 million tons of food annually.

Improving cold chains in food production and distribution in the developing world is "critical" to combating climate change and world hunger, as per a UN report released on Saturday.

The report, which was released by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the United Nations Environment Program, stated that more effective refrigeration will reduce food waste while increasing profitability for small farmers.

AFP quoted FAO's Deputy Director Zitouni Ould-Dada as saying: "Most developing countries suffer from lacking refrigeration, particularly in rural areas”.

According to the joint report, "developing countries could save 144 million tons of food annually if they reached the same level of food cold chain as developed countries."

More than 800 million people globally are afflicted by hunger, and an estimated 14 percent of all food is wasted before reaching the consumer, according to the report, which cites a lack of efficient cold chains as a major factor.

The report added that limiting food losses will reduce greenhouse gas emissions by reducing emissions of the potent planet-warming methane in the agriculture sector.