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The Nairobian

Pack your fresh produce well, it will fly off shelves

Smart Harvest

By George Mbakaya | Dec 08, 2018

**The beauty of cut produce elegantly displayed in markets attracts buyers who want to see inside the fruits and vegetables they are buying to better assess quality.** [Courtesy]

Farmers invest time and care to cultivate and harvest their produce. To attract the consumers, they need to ensure their products stay fresh with a packaging that will please buyers.

Packaging is the first step towards adding value to fresh produce. Decent packaging sets the tone for what follows; it catches the consumers eye first. If you want to see this at work, visit the fresh market stores and you will notice that many consumers make decisions on what to buy based on packaging.

A good packaging

Consumers of fresh produce on most occasions make purchases after work, when they are tired. In such a case, in most instances, they have five to 10-minute stops off at the supermarket on their way home, just to pick up a few things. They want to run through few items, get back in the car and get home.

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Supermarkets provide the most common transporter-package: the bag at the check-out, either plastic or paper. But consumers sometimes only buy one item and, to save time, rush off with, “I don’t need the bag.” This is where prepacked fresh produce come in handy.

With growing competition, farmers should invest time and effort in creating a product that is pleasing to the eye and piques the interest of a busy customer passing by the aisle. A good packaging should make the consumer take a second look. Because consumers are in a hurry, the brand name may not be enough to catch his eye. The total ‘look’ must be recognisable. Package shape is another way to add to your brand identification.

Package design

Through careful development of a brand image and coordination and consistency of package design, you can help consumers find your product in the cluttered supermarket environment, quickly and confidently. Add value on cabbages by wrapping the heads in shrink wrap. You may also stick your logo on the wrap for easy identification. You can then pack the cabbage heads neatly in the carton. For tomatoes there are a lot of options to choose from. Plastic clamshells is one option.

The plastic clamshells make for easy stacking on display. Packaging also assures the correct ring, which is important for premium tomatoes. They look nice on the shelf while still protecting the fruit. Tomatoes can also be packed in nets for transport and retail packaging.

Consumer trust

Packaging can play an effective role in marketing. Clear packaging lets customers easily see the brand and product type while being able to clearly see the product inside the packaging. The beauty of cut produce elegantly displayed in markets attracts buyers who want to see inside the fruits and vegetables they are buying to better assess quality. Remember, outside such high-volume fresh markets, retail packaging is required to keep cut produce fresh.

The ability to see cut produce within a package builds consumer trust and increases retail sales.

Packaging solutions to keep produce fresh at retail and for consumers include containers for precut produce, controlled atmospheres, and antimicrobials. Ready-to-eat cut produce in single-serving or multiple-serving size containers is a major trend that meets retailer and consumer needs: Prepared produce is sold in a ready-to-eat state, eliminating guesswork associated with assessing ripeness and discarding inedible produce because all the produce purchased is edible.

[The writer is an expert on sustainable solution and agricultural innovations [email protected]]