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Fresh Produce system Knowledge
Site Objectives
The fresh produce industry is one of the most complex, challenging and misunderstood sectors within the wider food landscape. The reasons for this relate to the extensive range of fruit and vegetables that are grown, harvested, distributed and consumed; the general perishability of the crops grown; and, the fact that fresh produce is extensively traded across national borders, adding a further level of complexity. Having an extensive level of Fresh Produce System Knowledge is therefore not an optional extra for industry members but absolutely essential.
Customers expect their produce to be "there" when they arrive at their chosen location to shop. Growers complete complex processes at the beginning of each season that vary between crops but are all focused on a successful harvest, which provides the ability dispatch the harvested produce from farms, orchards and market gardens in the direction of consumers.
This website, Fresh Produce System Knowledge, aims to foster a greater understanding about just what is necessary to ensure the consistent availability of fresh fruit and vegetables on our plates. This involves segmenting, analyzing and articulating every aspect of how our industry operates on the basis of common sense, without prejudice and in an entirely open and objective manner.
Fresh
The adjective Fresh is often (but not always) used to clearly identify a specific category of produce being discussed, namely fruit and vegetables. It obviously also differentiates from fruit and vegetables that are not Fresh when presented to the consumer, such as canned peaches or frozen peas. Just what exactly is meant when using Fresh to describe the state of produce is further discussed here.
Produce
Produce can vary in its definition, depending on country or state. Here in New Zealand, Produce is in the main synonymous with fruit and vegetables. In other jurisdictions, the noun Produce is often applied to any category of agricultural production. One example of this is Dairy Produce. When Produce is combined with Fresh, all doubt over what is being discussed under the description typically dissipates. This is why the US produce industry body, for example, is called the International Fresh Produce Association.
System
When we hear the noun System, we typically think of process, structure, organisation, documentation, method, reliability and preparedness. The presence of systems generates degrees of comfort. The realisation that a System maybe outdated, flawed, inappropriate or broken, on the other hand, creates unease, loss of confidence and, in the worst case, degrees of panic.
Any organisation, whether it is a charity or a business on a for profit basis, is always very keen to operate a reliable System, appropriate and tailored to the organisation's strategic intent, and regardless of the industry the organisation happens to be operating in.
Systems can be organisation specific, industry focused or sector group centred. They can local, regional or national orientations - or they can indeed be operating on a global basis.
Knowledge
Good systems do not arrive on the scene over night. Rather, they are usually a product of trial and error, good record keeping, data gathering and analysis, process reviews, learnings generated, an appreciation for the needs of, and contributions potentially available from, partner organisations along entire supply chains.
In other words a system is based, through necessity, on Knowledge. The more volatile an organisation or an entire industry are, the more complex and thought-through their operational processes need to be, and the greater the role is that relevant Knowledge has to contribute.
Fresh Produce System Knowledge
The fresh produce industry is volatile. Just think cyclones. Sure, these don't occur every day, so how about extended drought? Or a Biosecurity incursion such as Oriental Fruit Fly? How about a successful export crop's export supply window closing because we are undercut by a competitor in our chosen market? Or worse, the crop sector in the country we are exporting to, suddenly reaching economies of scale in their domestic production of the same crop, so that our export volumes become less relevant from one season to the next?
Fresh produce is also perishable. Yes, the degree of perishability varies significantly from crop to crop, think lettuce versus kiwifruit or apples. Nevertheless, perishability is a driver in every fresh produce category. Our products are harvested, and not manufactured. They pass through distribution centres and markets and are not stored in industrial warehouses. Nor do they last for ever and a day in consumer fruit bowls, fridges or larders. On the other hand, many fruits and vegetables can be grown anywhere these days.
This combination of volatility and perishability require the Fresh Produce System and its multiple components, processes, supply chains, distribution nodes and channels to market to operate with very robust systems and to a very standard.
The Fresh Produce System Knowledge site is dedicated to contributing at least part of the knowledge that allows our industry to improve and maintain the Fresh Produce System.
Please get in touch if visiting this site generates questions for you.