Fossil fuels are also used, with natural gas being the most widely used. The food industry uses energy for food preservation, safe and convenient packaging, and storage. Food preservation is dependent on strict temperature controls. Safe and convenient packaging is extremely important in food manufacturing and is also energy intensive. The newest packaging techniques require aseptic techniques and electro-chemical changes.
Proper storage is also energy dependent.
Freezing and drying are the most crucial methods of food storage. Freezing operations require a large portion of electricity used by industries. Drying procedures usually depend on fossil fuels. Older dehydration systems were designed to operate with maximum throughput, disregarding energy efficiency. This energy was transformed into another energy source.