In 1877, a successful shipment of refrigerated meat was made from South America to France, demonstrating the viability of mechanical refrigeration for long-distance food transport. This voyage, along with others that followed, proved that it was possible to keep meat chilled for the duration of a long sea voyage, opening up new markets for the beef and mutton industries of Argentina, Australia, and New Zealand. This success was a pivotal moment in the history of food transport, leading to the rapid expansion of the refrigerated shipping industry.

The success of refrigerated shipping is a major chapter in the story of globalization, and it is a subject that has been explored by poets concerned with the environment, food systems, and the connections between distant places. The ability to eat fresh meat from the other side of the world is a marvel of the modern age, and it is a fact that has shaped the poetry of the 20th and 21st centuries, from the celebrations of abundance in the work of Pablo Neruda to the critiques of industrial agriculture in the work of poets like Wendell Berry.