Shelf life is not storage life

Holding period in a warehouse is opportunity lost.

Keeping food secure for long is not always a worthwhile achievement... making sure it arrives for gainful end-use is the real target. Aim to make sure you reach the consumer - get on the shelf!

Segregation is good… sometimes

Cold chain operators are usually counselled that they must segregate goods in the cold-chain.

The need to segregate stems from the fact that fresh farm produce is frequently incompatible with one another, and is good practice to mitigate risk of damage & food loss.

Segregation is important in the cold-chain

Cold-chain is not only about cooling alone but must look at various compatibility aspects between different species of the goods involved. This is in particular the case when handling fresh fruits and vegetables. Unlike aseptically sealed foods, the packaging of fresh produce has to allow access to the surrounding air and therefore makes it susceptible to tainting, moisture loss and biological triggers.

FRESH PRODUCE FACTS

• Fresh fruit & vegetables are living tissue... even after harvest, they continue live and to breathe. This respiration produces carbon dioxide, water and heat and causes ageing or deterioration of quality.

• The rate of ageing of the produce is largely determined by its rate of respiration. Respiration and physiological activities can be slowed to minimise the rate and effects of ageing but respiration can never be completely stopped or the produce (fruit or vegetable) dies. 

• The rate of respiration is temperature dependent. Produce when kept cool will have a lower rate of respiration and lowered rate of deterioration.