<p> During Pack Expo this year, IFCO and Ratto Brothers gave a presentation about the results they have collected on the impact of using RPCs in the produce supply chain. Katie Kilfoyle Remis, from the Resuable Packaging Association, documented and shared these results with us. The studies were performed to determine whether RPCs could provide enhanced temperature control and better product protection.<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"> For its first study on temperature and hydration of greens, Ratto Bros. shipped various types of leafy greens from its fields in California to Kroger’s distribution center in Denver, CO. They shipped the same leafy green products in RPCs with ice and without ice, and in waxed boxes with and without ice. According to Remis, the results showed that pulp temperatures were almost identical in all the produce upon receipt at the distribution center. However, product in the RPCs was better hydrated and in better condition than product in the wax boxes. Additionally, the produce was hydrated best in the RPCs without ice.<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"> “We expected that the RPCs would perform better because of their superior ventilation features,” said Frank Ratto, Vice President of Marketing at Ratto Bros. “However, we were surprised to learn that ice creates an igloo effect that traps some of the heat. Ice has always been a mainstay in the shipment of produce. This study gave us new information and lets us deliver an even better product.”<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"> The improved respiration enabled by RPCs leads to less shrinkage of the product and better profits. “Better temperature management is the biggest factor in the quality of fresh produce,” emphasized Hillary Femal, Vice President of Global Marketing, IFCO. “And post-harvest cooling delays, in particular, have a larger impact on the quality and shelf life of produce than other factors.”<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"> IFCO later conducted a study wherein temperature probes were inserted into mangos and squash. The produce was loaded from the field into either RPCs or corrugated boxes. Remis tells us that temperature monitoring showed that the RPCs remove field heat twice as fast as cardboard containers. The improved airflow enabled by RPCs also has an impact on produce within primary packaging. A study by the University of Florida determined that RPCs quickened cooling time by 25% for strawberries packed in clamshell packaging.<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"> RPCs also improve hydration. The lids on each individual container keeps wind off the produce as it’s moved from the field to the cooler, reducing dehydration. In addition, Ratto Bros. found that reusables also reduce shrinkage of the produce because RPCs have interlocking mechanisms that create a stable solid footprint even when stacked. The crates absorb shocks and vibrations as the produce travels over bumpy roads from field to cooler and when crates are handled by forklifts and handlers throughout the supply chain.<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">“The reusability of RPCs makes it cost effective to incorporate features for better physical protection of the product, as well as better ventilation, than you could ever do with a disposable carton,” explained Femal. “We can build in a lot more ventilation features without compromising the integrity of the stack. Those are huge advantages.”<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">A 2013 study supports Ratto’s experience. The Fraunhofer Institute for Material Flow and Logistics and the Cold-Chain Management Working Group at the University of Bonn researched the damage inflicted on shipping containers and the produce inside as product traveled from a grower/producer to a distribution center (DC); and then DC to retail. The results: Package damage rates of the exterior containers were 4.2% for disposable boxes versus 0.12% for reusable containers. Within the damaged packages, product damage rates were 20% for disposable boxes versus 0% for damaged reusable containers.<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">“This confirms that RPCs bear the brunt of the damage caused by forklifts, being dropped or otherwise mishandled,” said Femal. “If the entire 1.8 billion pounds of fresh produce shipped to North American grocery stores annually were shipped in RPCs, we could eliminate about 14.4 million pounds of fresh produce food waste caused by physical damage in transit. That’s a phenomenal savings.”<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">From improved ergonomics in the field to better temperature control and product protection, RPCs are delivering measureable improvements for Ratto Bros. and other users of RPCs.<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">The findings from the studies were delivered in the Reusable Packaging Association Reusables Learning Center at PACK EXPO 2013. IFCO and The Kroger Company are members of the <a class="btn btn-sm btn-primary col-lg-12" style="white-space: normal;" href="http://reusables.org" target="_new"> Reusable Packaging Association. </a></p><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><p><a class="btn btn-sm btn-primary col-lg-12" style="white-space: normal;" href="http://www.ifco.com/global/com/en/index.php" target="_new"> IFCO </a><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><a class="btn btn-sm btn-primary col-lg-12" style="white-space: normal;" href="http://www.rattobros.com" target="_new"> Ratto Bros. </a></p><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">
