Orlando, Fla.—We all love to sit down in the morning right after finding in our pantry, everything we wish to have for breakfast this particular morning. Don’t we? 

Since most of us do not have a mass production of fresh produce in our backyards, we depend on the magic that makes it come to our nearest grocery shops while it is all still fresh and perfect for consumption.

It wasn’t always like that but, as times change, our lives are changing too. We are now talking about e-commerce giants like Amazon, officially buying Whole Foods — a $13.7 billion purchase that went through in August of 2017. The online behemoth's purchase of the organic grocer is bringing many changes for customers. According to CNN Money, the following are ways in which Amazon has already changed your shopping experience at Whole Foods.

1- Lowered prices

2- Online shopping and delivery

3- Prime exclusive deals

4- Smart shopping via Echo

5- The most obvious way: Advertising (watch video)

For most, this move made all the sense of the world since the signature grocer found itself in a position where they needed to compete with the innovation of made-at-home gourmet meals that can be shopped online and get delivered right to your front door.

 The integrated U.S. cold chain requires optimized service from existing ports, third-party logistics, cold storage warehousing, transportation providers and high-value vendors. Many successful companies such as Whole Foods don’t usually design logistics networks; rather, they inherit them as a result of earlier mergers or acquisitions, or simply evolve them piecemeal as operations expand. Every food company that comprises the cold chain—from suppliers to manufacturers to cold chain logistics providers to food retailers—is now operating in a complex, fast-changing system.

Food logistics planning will become increasingly important as a significant amount of volume shifts to e-commerce. While the last mile is expensive, the demand for home deliveries is growing, and one-hour, two-hour and four-hour routes will have a significant impact on location, fleet size and the need for route optimization.

In the Southeast, there are a number of much smaller U.S. ports attracting private investment for cold chain food shipping, which is becoming an industry trend, as reported by Logistics Management. According to their report a number of domestic “niche ports” have positioned themselves to support cold chain logistics in the food sector. Featured among them in Florida, are the following:

• Florida’s Port Everglades’ top agriculture importers include Chiquita and Dole Fresh Fruit, while Crowley and Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC) are among the top carriers. Grocery items make up nearly half (48%) of the shipments, followed by poultry, non-alcoholic beverages, and fruit. Port Everglades Cold Storage provides nearly 100,000 square feet of variable temperature-controlled refrigerated storage.

• Primary cargoes at Florida’s Gulf Coast Port Manatee include tropical fruits and vegetables along with citrus juices and beverages. Manatee offers 202,000 square feet of refrigerated space, including 30,000 square feet of freezer space.

More direct buying opportunities and more direct shipments to existing facilities could be expected as well as new forward-positioned food supply facilities which may open and balance business opportunities for industry members and it could mean excellent news for many.