Noll says State Garden is also trying to use more recycled material in its packaging. Other breakthroughs include temperature-sensitive solutions for specific field or warehouse conditions, such as Cashmere,
WA-based Crunch Pak LLC’s custom-made barcode printers that function even at the low temperatures of its apple packing facility.
Cutting-edge technology also capitalizes on smartphone usage for scanning QR codes or barcodes. Growers Express LLC, headquartered in Salinas, CA and Chelan Fresh Marketing in Chelan, WA each developed barcodes to give consumers access to not only the usual product preparation, storage, and nutritional information, but multimedia options such as videos from growers.
By linking consumers to this type of information, the packaging itself can remain simplistic and offer more visibility of the product—often cited as a major inducement to purchase for many shoppers. Since buyers can see, handle, and inspect commodities when buying bulk, greater visibility presents consumers with a happy medium.
Concluding Thoughts
By evaluating consumer trends, marketing initiatives, and taking steps to make packaging more sustainable, the fresh-cut/processing, foodservice, and retail sectors will continue to thrive on the demand for fresh produce in a friendly form.
Image: Thinkstock
