German railway operator Deutsche Bahn is removing frozen french fries from its onboard bistro menu, forcing passengers to forgo the classic currywurst mit Pommes combination over the EU’s strict F-gas Regulation, which is phasing out the synthetic refrigerants needed to keep fries frozen on trains.
Brussels is banning certain gasses from refrigeration and freezing equipment due to their potential role in global warming.
According to a DB spokeswoman, many of the refrigerants previously used onboard can no longer be employed or can only be used under heavy restrictions because of the EU rules, the Frankfurter Allgemeine reported.
As a result, the railway is abandoning deep-freeze capacity for fries.
Instead of fries, passengers will now be offered potato wedges (Kartoffelecken) with their currywurst.
Currywurst remains one of DB’s bestsellers, with around 600,000 portions sold annually in long-distance trains.
The loss of fries has already sparked irritation among regular passengers who see the humble side dish as an essential part of the meal.
The move is a direct consequence of the revised EU F-gas Regulation (EU) 2024/573, which entered into force in March 2024.
The legislation phases down fluorinated greenhouse gases (F-gases) with high global warming potential, imposing bans on many refrigerants used in commercial refrigeration and freezing equipment.
Self-contained refrigeration units with GWP of 150 or more face prohibitions starting in 2025.
Deutsche Bahn had already been exploring natural refrigerants such as CO₂ and propane for its fleet in anticipation of the rules, but retrofitting or replacing onboard systems for food service has proven costly and complex.
Because of the de facto ban on freezing products on board, other products, such as ice cream or ice cubes are also set to disappear from the trains.
Existing freezers are to be replaced in large part by normal refrigerators at the end of the year, according to the DB spokeswoman. This would create further capacities for cooling particularly sought-after beverages.
She also noted that the potato wedgies were selling better than the fries did.
Where demand did drop was with the vegan currywurst. There the DB decided to pull it off the menu and replace it with something more liked.
The story has triggered predictable outrage on German social media and among transport commentators, who see it as yet another example of Brussels regulation producing absurd real-world consequences for ordinary citizens.
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