fresh produce handling at destination...
TRANSCRIPT
10/22/2011
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Handling at Destination
• Wholesale– Wholesale markets
– Distribution Centers
• Retail– Retail markets
– Farmers markets
Factors contributing to postharvest losses
• Temperature
• Water loss
• Damage
• Diseases
• Ethylene
• Continued growth
• Physiological disorders
Temperature affects all causes of deterioration
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Cold ChainMonitoring
Maintaining temperature is a major challenge during distribution
Temperature management and microbial food safety
Generally the product is coldest when loaded for transport to destinations
Temperature control supplements good sanitation practices Low temp slows pathogen growth but prolongs pathogen survival (food source required)
High temperature shortens pathogen survival time if humidity is low (i.e. no consumer packaging
High temperature + high humidity + food source = proliferation
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Opportunities for Improvement: Farm to CustomerTracking and Traceability
StoresPacking Station
Cold Storage DC/RipeningVesselsFarmsPort/Yard
Wireless and Sensor ApplicationsDischarge
Port
INTERNAL
EXTERNAL
Visibility and Velocity
Improve vessel monitoring and control
Improve truck/container monitoring and control
Improve reefer monitoring and control
Improve yard management Improve yard management
Enhance container security
Improve asset management
Improve customer service
Improve control over in-transit ripening
Enhance food safety and security
Improve customer supply chain compliance
Optimize in-store promotions
Deloitte Consulting
Compatibility
• Temperature
• Relative Humidity
• Ethylene
• Odor
7 day storage compatibility chart
http://postharvest.ucdavis.edu/produce_information/
Transportation and Loading
Retail & Food Service outlets
Distribution warehouses and Storage rooms
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Inspection at Destination
• Quality– Physical properties: color, shape, texture
– Defects allowed
– Did product meet grade packed?
• Condition– Dynamic properties, change with time
– Maturity/ripeness
– Weight loss
– Decay
– Damage
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Product being held under ideal conditions? UNLIKELY
Therefore expedited handling is usually best. • 0-2°C
• 7-10°C• 16-18°C
Simplify temperaturesfor 5-7days distributionand handling
1-2 days to harvest, cool, temporary storage
3-5 days to transport
1-3 days at distribution center
1-3 days at retail
1-3 days at consumer
Total = 7-16 days
Tesco (U.K.) Fresh & Easy Stores in U.S. “Farm to Store in 24”
Streamline DistributionHow long to market?
What shelf-life is actually needed?
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Supermarket Distribution Centers
Transdocking
Refrigerated Dock
Banana Ripening RoomsRacked Warehouse; Picking Orders
Stacking strength of boxes is in the corners.Boxes well aligned and pallets strapped
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Events at Destination Markets
• Post-shipping quality/condition assessed
• Continued product water loss
• Ripening and/or senescence
• Cool product that arrives warm
• Damage during secondary distribution
• Waste management
Repacking; RepalletizingCostly to do at destination
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Keys to Effective Handling
• Inspect on arrival
• Separate into quality groups
• Proper conditioning
• Repack, repalletize if necessary
• Separate into compatibility groups
• FIFO (first-in should be first out)
– FEFO (first expired, first out)
• Stage or consolidate in cold room to ship to store
Causes of Load Rejections at Receiver Docks (example from one Food Service distributor)
• Temperature variance: 50%
• Quality or Condition: 20%
• Damaged cartons: 30%
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Ripening Fruits at Destination
• Ripening rooms– Temperature 15-25C
– RH 85-95%
– Air circulation for uniform temperature
– Ventilation to keep CO2 below 1%
• Treatment with ethylene– No higher than 100ppm,
– 20 ppm usually sufficient
– Need to vent ethylene outside facility
– Ethylene gas mixtures, ethylene generators
FruitExposure time (hours)1
To 100ppm ethylene
Range of ripening temperatures2
Avocado 8-48 15-20ºC / 59-68ºF
Banana 24-48 14-18ºC / 58-65ºF
Kiwifruit 12-24 12-25ºC / 54-77ºF
Manago 24-48 20-25ºC / 68-77ºF
Pear 24-48 20-25ºC / 68-77ºF
Tomato 24-72 18-20ºC / 65-68ºF
1 Shorter duration for more mature fruit2 Faster ripening rate at higher temperatures
Ripening Conditions For Some Commonly-ripened Fruit
Ripening Conditions For Some Commonly-ripened Fruit
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Local Transport
Example from fresh-cut processor, Salinas.
3
4
5
6
7
0 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10Days
Tem
per
atu
re (
°C)
1
At plant
Retail Store Cooler
Retail Shelf
DistanceTransport
LocalDistribution
Fresh-cut produce Chill Chain Temperatures During Shipping, Distribution and Retail Display.
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Waste Handling at Destination
• Store Shrink—– returned for disposal
• Containers– Corrugated cartons
• >750,000 tons per year in U.S.
– Bailed waste is revenue source for recycling
• Fuel logs, fuel pellets
– Waxed containers must be separated
• Pallets– Pallet exchange (60%), one-way (14%)
– 325 million new pallets/year
– 12 billion ponds burned or disposed
– #6 contributor to landfills; 1/3 landfills not accept
Examples Retail displays
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Examples Retail displays
Keys to Successful Handling
1. Inspect produce when received
2. Separate produce according to quality
3. Trim, remove damaged produce
4. Rotate on first-in, first-out basis
5. Eliminate produce with serious defects
6. Sell as soon as possible
A. Quality assurance
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Keys to Successful Handling
1. Avoid exposure to direct sunlight
2. Use cold storage rooms for short-term holding
3. Maintain adequate ventilation
4. Use refrigerated display cases
5. Sprinkle tolerant commodities with water
B. Temperature-RH management
Products that tolerate sprinkling with water Leafy vegetables Cruciferous vegetables Tender root vegetables Some immature fruit vegetables (peas)
Keys to Successful Handling
1. Handle produce with care
2. Avoid drops, impacts, bruising
3. Do not stack containers very high
4. Use single or double layer for soft fruits
5. Display sensitive products on padded surfaces
C. Careful handling
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Keys to Successful Handling
1. If needed, wash produce and remove excess moisture
2. Sort out and properly discard produce with decay
3. Clean storage and display areas periodically
4. Employee hygiene
D. Sanitation procedures
Retail Display Preparation
• Make a plan: – contrast colors
– group related items
• Build a pyramidal shape; not pile too high
• Highlight highly perishable produce
• Bulk items must be accessible to consumers
• Maintain adequate lighting and cleanliness
Consumer turn-offsPoor-quality produceShortage of staffUninformed produce clerksInsufficient signs and pricingDisregard of consumer preferences
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Maintaining the Retail Display• Check displays regularly
• Keep displays replenished
• Rotate produce when replenishing
• Remove poor quality produce
• Sprinkle with clean water when useful
• Check display temperature
• Protect potatoes from direct light
• Transfer produce to cold room overnight
Display ready packaging
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Display Cases should have Vertical Air Flow for Fresh-cut
Products
Products which tolerate ice• Asparagus
• Broccoli
• Brussel sprouts
• Carrots (topped)
• Cauliflower
• Celery
• Packaged fresh-cuts
• Endives
• Green onions
• Lettuces
• Parsley
• Spinach
• Sweet corn
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Maintain the Cold ChainHarvest
Cooling
Storage
Handlingat destination
• Use refrigerated unloading area• Measure product temperature• Move product quickly to storage area• Transport locally in refrigerated truck• Display/store at proper temp. range
Handling at homeor Foodservice outlet
Transport to Market
• Use refrigerated loading area• Cool truck before loading• Load pallets towards center of truck• Avoid delays during transport
• Monitor product temperature
50-75% of storage life is spent in a transport vehicle
This can be a real problem!
• Warehousing
• Distribution
• Transportation
• Information
• Logistics
• Traceability
Packaging: common footprintfewer types
Storage conditions& compatibilities
• 0-2°C• 7-10°C• 16-18°C
Identification Time, temperatureOther information?
PreciseTemperaturecontrol