But the reason why most of that food is thrown away is not lack of refrigeration, cheaper refrigeration will not solve that problem.

I think "cheaper refrigerators" is an oversimplification. People without access to a functional refrigerator often have bigger problems than a mere absence of a single appliance.

But the energy savings is a big deal. We're not just talking about food refrigeration but AC, which is a much bigger deal especially as we suffer a warning planet