Export pkg f&v

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Packaging for export of Fruits and Vegetables

Kithsiri Wijesundera KiWi Strategy Consultants 8th April 2015

Packaging fresh fruits and vegetables - Introduction

u One of the more important steps in the long and complicated journey from grower to consumer.

u More than 1,500 different types of packages are used for fresh produce.

u Bags, crates, hampers, baskets, cartons, bulk bins, and palletized containers are convenient containers for handling, transporting, and marketing fresh produce.

KiWi Strategy Consultants

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Packaging fresh fruits and vegetables - Introduction

u the trend in recent years has moved toward a wider range of package sizes to accommodate the diverse needs of wholesalers, consumers, food service buyers, and processing operations.

u Packing and packaging materials contribute a significant cost to the produce industry;

u It is important that packers, shippers, buyers, and consumers have a clear understanding of the wide range of packaging options available.


Why package “Produce”?

u A significant percentage of produce buyer and consumer complaints may be traced to container failure §  “If a product doesn’t meet our specifications, particularly

for fresh food, or if the packaging is damaged, then we won’t send it to the store. The shopper wouldn’t buy it anyway unless it’s heavily discounted, so there’s no point.” – A retailer in Australia

u A properly designed produce container should contain, protect, and identify the produce, satisfying everyone from grower to consumer.


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Containment

�  Must enclose the produce in convenient units for handling and distribution.

�  The produce should fit well inside the container, with little wasted space

�  Many produce items such as asparagus, berries, or soft fruit may require containers specially designed for that item

�  Packages of produce commonly handled by hand are usually limited to 50 pounds (20 kg.).

�  Bulk packages moved by fork lifts may weigh as much as 1,200 pounds (500 kg.).


Protection


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Hazards during transport

�  Punctures and Abrasion: Occurs when the package shifts or comes in contact with other packages or material handling equipment during sorting and other shipping operations. They can also be the result of improper or insufficient internal packaging that does not prevent the contents from shifting, resulting in the product being damaged or the package failing to contain the product.

�  Compression: Occurs when external forces are applied to the sides, faces or corners of a package. Stacking, shock, vibration, material handling equipment and tie-down straps all generate compression forces that may result in package or product damage. Proper packaging offers the necessary level of protection against these forces.


Hazards in Transit

�  Shipment Handling: Proper cushioning can reduce damage caused by the shock incurred during shipment handling. It is important to note that your shipment will most likely be handled with a forklift at some point during distribution. Proper packaging must be able to protect the contents from the drops and impacts commonly associated with handling operations.

�  Shock: Occurs during handling and transportation as a result of impacts with forklifts, racks, containers, floors and other shipments. Proper cushioning can reduce damage caused by shock. Most products will require some level of shock protection to prevent damage during normal distribution.

�  Vibration: Occurs in transport vehicles like trucks, planes or ships and on virtually anything else that moves, such as forklifts or conveyor belts. Proper cushioning can absorb and reduce the negative effects vibration can have on your product.


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Fresh Produce Exporters


Environmental Control during handling & transit


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Environmental Control during handling & transit


Different Environments for different products


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Extend Shelf Life


Moisture Modified Packaging


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Passive MAP




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ACTIVE PACKAGING

�  Active packaging is an innovative concept that can be defined as a mode of packaging in which the package, the product and the environment interact to prolong shelf-life or enhance safety or sensory properties, while maintaining the quality of the product (Suppakul et al., 2003 ).

�  It allows the active preservation of foods, according to their needs, by modification of the environment inside the package by removing undesired gases or by regulating the composition of the gas in the package headspace.


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ACTIVE PACKAGING

�  Active systems can be classified according to their functionality as scavengers, regulators and emitters, and their action can be specific for several substances (O2 , CO2 , ethylene etc.).

�  The internal atmosphere may be regulated by substances that absorb (scavenge) or release (emit) gases or vapors.


�  Oxygen can have considerable detrimental effects on foods.

�  Oxygen scavengers can therefore help maintain food product quality by decreasing food metabolism, reducing oxidative rancidity, inhibiting undesirable oxidation of labile pigments and vitamins, controlling enzymic discoloration and inhibiting the growth of aerobic microorganisms.

Oxygen Scavengers


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�  The most common oxygen scavengers take the form of small sachets containing various iron-based powders containing an assortment of catalysts.

�  These chemical systems often react with water supplied by the food to produce a reactive hydrated metallic reducing agent that scavenges oxygen within the food package and irreversibly converts it to a stable oxide.

�  The iron powder is separated from the food by keeping it in a small, highly oxygen permeable sachet that is labelled “Do not eat”.

Oxygen Scavengers


�  The main advantage of using such oxygen scavengers is that they are capable of reducing oxygen levels to less than 0.01%.

�  Nonmetallic scavengers include those that use organic reducing agents such as ascorbic acid, ascorbate salts or catechol.


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�  There are many commercial sachet and label devices that can be used to either scavenge or emit carbon dioxide.

�  The use of carbon dioxide scavengers is particularly applicable for fresh roasted or ground coffees that produce significant volumes of carbon dioxide.

�  Fresh roasted or ground coffees cannot be left unpackaged since they absorb moisture and oxygen and lose desirable volatile aromas and flavours.

Carbon Dioxide Scavengers/Emitter


�  If coffee is hermetically sealed in packs directly after roasting, the carbon dioxide released builds up within the packs and eventually causes them to burst.

�  To circumvent this problem, two solutions are currently used.

�  The first is to use packaging with patented one-way valves that allow excess carbon dioxide to escape.

�  The second solution is to use a carbon dioxide scavenger or a dual-action oxygen and carbon dioxide scavenger system.

�  These dual-action sachets and labels typically contain iron powder for scavenging oxygen and calcium hydroxide which scavenges carbon dioxide when it is converted to calcium carbonate under sufficiently high humidity conditions.


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Ethylene Scavengers

�  Ethylene (C2H4) is a plant hormone that accelerates the respiration rate and subsequent senescence of horticultural products such as fruit, vegetables and flowers.

�  Many of the effects of ethylene are necessary, e.g. induction of flowering in pineapples and colour development in citrus fruits, bananas and tomatoes, but in most horticultural situations it is desirable to remove ethylene or to suppress its effects.


�  Effective systems utilise potassium permanganate (KMnO4) immobilised on an inert mineral substrate such as alumina or silica gel.

�  KMnO4 oxidises ethylene to acetate and ethanol and in the process changes colour from purple to brown and hence indicates its remaining ethylene-scavenging capacity.

�  KMnO4-based ethylene scavengers are available in sachets to be placed inside produce packages or inside blankets or tubes that can be placed in produce storage warehouses.


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�  Edible packaging is defined as a thin layer of edible material formed on a food as a coating or placed (preformed) on or between food components (Pagella et al., 2002 ).

�  Natural polymers have been studied extensively for the development of edible packaging.

�  A variety of polysaccharides (starch and hydrocolloids), proteins (whey proteins, soybean proteins and fish proteins) and lipids have been used, either individually or in mixtures, to produce edible films.


�  Edible films and coatings have some advantages such as edibility, biocompatibility, barrier properties, absence of toxicity, the fact that they are nonpolluting, and low cost (Han, 2000).

�  Moreover, biofilms and coatings, by themselves or acting as carriers of food additives (i.e., antioxidants and antimicrobials), have been considered particularly for food preservation because of their ability to extend the shelf - life (Franssen and Krochta, 2003).


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Identification


Identification

�  It may be required to provide information such as the produce name, brand, size, grade, variety, net weight, count, grower, shipper, and country of origin.

�  It is also becoming more common to find included on the package, nutritional information, recipes, and other useful information directed specifically at the consumer


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New Trend of Snacking


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Fruity Snack Packs


Product Codes

UPC barcode is on top and the EAN bar

code is below.


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The UPCs used in the food industry


EAN barcodes


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EAN barcodes

Your 13-digit EAN number,

when looked up within the

retailer’s inventory system,

finds the corresponding

product name and price.

This information helps the

retailer keep accurate

inventory data, review sales,

and reorder. KiWi Strategy Consultants

Intermediate Packaging

•  Corrugated Paperboard packaging – the solution to many requirements that was highlighted.

•  How It`s Made Cardboard Boxes https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL832lYhKTE63rjpCe7NV2q1iVGuiVN-Iy


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Corrugated Packaging


Corrugated packaging

�  corrugated packaging is the safest solution because every box, tray and carton is only used once as the virgin packaging before it is recycled.

�  This enables growers, retailers and consumers to have optimum hygiene conditions.

hygienic transport of fresh produce


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Hygiene advantages of corrugated board – at a glance

�  Corrugated board is always new - each package is used only once

�  Corrugated board is also the natural partner for foods, such as meat, bread and eggs No cleaning, no drying, no residues

�  Consumer security is guaranteed by Good Manufacturing Practice


Logistic advantages of corrugated board – at a glance

�  Stacking capability: saves space and money

�  Modularity: efficient solutions based on standards

�  Flexibility: solutions for all requirements

�  Modern Supply Chain Management (SCM): perfect integration of Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology


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Stackability of Corrugated

Trays

Stacking capability: saves space and

money


Word of Caution

�  Fresh produce cannot carry much of the vertical load without some damage.

�  Corrugated fiberboard containers have stacking strength to protect the produce from crushing.

�  Because of their geometry, most of the stacking strength of corrugated containers is carried by the corners.

�  For this reason, hand holes and ventilation slots should never be positioned near the corners of produce containers and be limited to no more than 5 to 7 percent of the side


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Ecological advantages of corrugated board – at a glance

�  100% natural: raw materials consist of paper and starch glue

�  Renewable resources: scrub wood and forest underbrush

�  CO2 control: reforestation counters climate change

�  Easy disposal

�  No empty truck runs, no wasted energy on cleaning applications


Marketing advantages of corrugated board – at a glance

�  It sells! Market suitable packaging is part of every marketing strategy

�  Colours arouse attention

�  Printed messages enhance the brand profile

�  Corrugated board allows high-quality printing

�  Consumers are attracted to the packaging’s form and colour


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Pictorial Markings for Handling of Goods

�  Referenced Documents

�  2.1 ASTM Standards: 2 D 996 Terminology of Packaging and Distribution Environments

�  2.2 ISO Standards: ISO 780 Pictorial Marking for Handling of Goods3 ISO 7000 Registration of Markings and Symbols3

�  Pictorial Markings for handling of goods


Palletisation

Pallets are plane (flat) structures utilised in cargo container ships for supporting goods or containers. Cargo

consignments are piled atop these

structures, the process being referred to

as palletizing.


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Stacking on Pallets

�  Interlocking the packages (cross stacking) is universally practiced to stabilize pallets.

�  Cross stacking places the corner of one produce package at the middle of the one below it, thus reducing its stacking strength.


Stacking on Pallets

To reduce the possibility of collapse, the first several layers of each pallet should be column stacked

(one package directly above the other).

The upper layers of packages may be cross stacked as usual with

very little loss of pallet stability KiWi Strategy Consultants

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Air-freighted produce Transport


Food

Export pkg f&v