Bagged Produce Industry
Nothing is better than the convenience of crisp, ripe fruits and vegetables, pre-washed and chopped. As American lives get busier and busier, more consumers than ever before are buying pre-packaged produce items. Everyone seems to love the simplicity of bagged fresh foods, from professionals looking for healthy meals they can bring to work to moms trying to encourage kids to eat more fruits and veggies with fun, single-serve packages.
While pre-cut fresh foods are in-demand with consumers, shoppers do have some concerns about food safety. Salmonella, Listeria, and E. coli outbreaks have all been traced to bagged fresh produce, particularly spinach and salad greens. Consumers want an assurance that precautions have been taken to deliver their bagged produce to grocery shelves fresh and uncontaminated. And, sustainability is also a consideration for many consumers who expect fresh food manufacturers and retailers to act consciously about the waste they produce.
Given these challenges, how can suppliers of pre-packaged fruits and vegetables meet consumer expectations while maintaining a healthy profit margin? The solution may be as simple as optimizing your supply chain with the iGPS plastic pallet pooling system.
iGPS Pallets Neutralize Bagged Fresh Food Supply Chain Obstacles
Keeping fruits and vegetables fresh until they reach the consumer is a major challenge for the produce supply chain. Bagged produce is particularly susceptible to bacterial contamination; if even a tiny particle of manure or tainted irrigation water gets into a plastic bag, the bag becomes a perfect vessel for bacterial growth. And, the processes needed to package bagged fresh food can lead to additional, unintended problems as well, such as:
Risk of infection: Harvesting and chopping produce can create an entry point for salmonella, Listeria, and E. coli to infect fruits and vegetables.
Damaging gases: Some fruits release gases that speed the ripening process. Bagging these fruits can cause them to become spoiled or overripe as gases become trapped in the plastic bags.
