Rosa S. Rolle, Ph.DSenior Agro-Industries and Post-harvest Officer

FAO Regional Office for Asia and the PacificBangkok

Rosa.Rolle@fao.org

PRODUCER

CONSUMER

THE HORTICULTURAL CHAIN Basic Facts

Spans the continuum from the producer to the consumer

Includes a number of stakeholders;

Can be either simple or complex

Is driven by consumer demand

INFORMATION

Key Objectives of Horticultural Chain Management

Reduce losses Maintain quality Assure safetyImprove efficiency Ensure that

consumer and market demand for safe fruits and vegetables can be met

HARVEST

TREATMENT

PACKAGING

TRANSPORT

STORAGE

DISTRIBUTION

MARKETING

Major Operations in the Chain

Every stakeholder in the chain has a responsibility to: - handle properly and to minimise the risk of contamination to assure safety and quality of produce

PRODUCTION

Quality cannot be improvedAfter harvest

Key Stakeholders in Traditional Horticultural Supply Chains

Key Stakeholders in Modern Value Chains

HARVEST

TREATMENT

PACKAGING

TRANSPORT

STORAGE

DISTRIBUTION

MARKETING

Major Operations in the Chain

A Chain is only as strong as its weakest link

PRODUCTION

Quality Cannot be improvedAfter harvest

Factors that Influence the Linkages and Integrity of the Chain

1. StakeholdersLevel of organization

Horizontal Vertical

Level of knowledge and skill of stakeholders

Poor Integration of Activities in Supply Chains is a Major Cause of

Losses Long time-frame in delivering produce to market compromises produce quality.

High ambient temperatures and inappropriate handling contribute to quality deterioration

Schematic of supply chain for locally produced fresh produce

Factors that Influence the Integrity of the Chain

2. Technological base

EquipmentTools

Factors that Influence the Integrity of the Chain

3. InfrastructureAvailability of-, and access to packing house facilities, transport, potable water, markets.

The infrastructural base need not be elaborate but must be hygienically maintained in order to minimize produce contamination

Factors that Govern the Level of Operations Within the Chain

Affordability in the target market

Consumer preferences in the target market

Produce must meet the quality requirements of the target market

What is Quality? A combination of

attributes, properties or characteristics that give a commodity value in terms of its intended use. (Kader and Rolle, 2005)

Noteworthy

FOOD QUALITY is an

option …

Source: Hurst (2008)

Variety

Mainstream Horticultural Produce

Convenience

Price and Freshness

Wet Market

Supermarkets

Exotic and SpecialtyProduce

Innovation

Basic

Up-market

Healthy Options

SOCIO- ECONOMICS

CONSUMER DEMAND TRENDS

Safety and Quality

Factors that Contribute to Quality

AppearanceSize, shape, color, gloss, freedom from defects

TextureFeel in the hand

Firmness, softnessFeel in the mouth

Juiciness, crispiness, toughness

…Factors that Contribute to Quality

FlavourSmell Taste

Sweetness, sourness, astringency, bitterness

Nutrition Vitamin, mineral, lipid, protein, carbohydrate,

fibre, phytonutrients

Assurance that food will not cause harm to the consumer when it is preparedand/or eaten according to its intended use.

Food SafetyFood Safety

….Factors that Contribute to Quality

Fresh Produce is vulnerable to contamination as it moves through the chain. Efforts must,

therefore, be made to minimise the risk of contamination through preventative

approaches

Fresh Produce is vulnerable to hazards at every step of the chain

What kind of HAZARDS?

PHYSICAL- Blades

- Packaging material

BIOLOGICAL- Microorganisms

- Birds- Insects

CHEMICAL- Pesticides- Detergents

PRODUCTIONPRODUCTION HARVESTINGHARVESTING HANDLINGHANDLING STORAGESTORAGE DISTRIBUTIONDISTRIBUTION

Fresh Produce May Look GoodBut a key question is : “Is it Safe to Eat?”

Food Safety must be assured in the post-harvest chain through simple, practical preventative approaches

Minimize the opportunity for microbial

contamination through proper handling:

Produce must not come into contact with soil

after harvest.

Water used in post-harvest operations must be clean and

free from contamination to

assure safetyThe use of potable water

in post-harvest operations helps to preventMicrobiological and

chemical contaminationHot Water Treatment

Washing or contaminating??

Tools and equipment used in

post-harvest operations must be

clean to assure safety

Clean tools, equipment and packaging, helps to prevent :Microbiological and

chemical contamination;The spread of post-harvest

diseasesInsect infestation

Tools must also be intact, to avoid physical hazardsE.g. Blades from the

harvesting equipment stuck in the fruit

Packaging must be clean to assure

safety

Detergents used in washing mustbe safe in use for food and must not pose a risk of chemical contamination

Proper handling, protection from mechanical injury and temperature and relative humidity management are fundamental in maintaining

quality in the chain

Good Packaging and proper handling are critical in in minimising quality loss

Cushioning of produce for the wet market

Containers must have smooth surfaces to avoid mechanical

damage during transportation

Packaging and other containers used must be repaired if produce damage is to be avoided

Proper packing and Stacking in transport

systems to allow air flow is critical to maintaining

temperature and optimizing the use of

space in transport systems

Packaging containers must be of the correct size and must not be

overpacked to minimise bruising,

compression damage and heat build up

CONSUMER

PRODUCER

Good Hygiene

ProperHandling & packaging

Temp & humidity management

Efficiency

THANK YOU

Rosa.Rolle@fao.org