the Cold chain: Package design and cold chain management go hand in hand

摘要

Fresh-cut produce is the fastest growing segment of the produce industry, and customers are looking for convenience, freshness, quality and safety when they purchase fresh-cut products. But the produce packaging is often the last step a company takesin preparing a new product for the market, said Jeff Brandenburg, packaging consultant and president of The JSB Group, Greenfield, Mass. Attention is paid to developing safe products, extending shelf life and managing field to fork progress, but less ispaid to the bag or carton that the produce is stored in from the time it's processed until it's opened by the customer. Brandenburg said clients often ask him at the tail end of development for a generic package that will improve the quality of their produce. That's not a question he likes to hear, because all a package can do is extend shelf life.