Getting a product to an end-user is a highly complex process for businesses, especially those that handle the production, preparation, and packaging of fresh produce.
Businesses within the baked goods, frozen, or confectionary industry are tasked with much more stringent handling policies than other businesses since naked produce is involved.
Handling and packaging these products require extreme care and health and safety precautions to reduce the risk of cross-contamination.
Due to this, these businesses’ packaging solutions must check many boxes, from the nature and compensation of the product, its shelf life, storage conditions etc., to ensure that the product meets the end-user in its best state.
Therefore, we’ve created this article outlining several things that businesses need to know about the handling and packaging of fresh produce — discussing how companies can best protect the security, safety and freshness of the food and even make use of alternative packing methods such as tray loading and carton loading to optimise their packaging process.
1. Attractive Packaging Can Boost Sales
As well as being practical, it’s also beneficial for businesses to consider the decorative elements of their packaging. Decorative elements may seem like a minor factor in the supply chain process.
Still, these are the little things that the end-user will notice first and can even sway the consumer into making a purchase, as confirmed by seven in one surveyed customers.
Easy to recognise, attractive packaging helps existing, and new customers identify your brand (think about Burger King and McDonald’s), makes you stand out from competitors, and can help increase customer loyalty, which can boost sales.
2. Increases The Safety Of Your Product
The main aim of packaging is getting your product to a consumer in an efficient and timely manner; however, this is no good if the product arrives damaged or spoiled.
Especially if your products must travel some distance from your warehouse to reach their destination, it may be worthwhile for your business to review your current packaging and assess whether it’s suitable and protective enough for the distance travelled.
Ensuring the safety of your product not only makes it more appealing for the end-user and reduces the risk of cross-contamination but also saves your business complications further down the line, such as product recalls, spoiled products, negative reviews, etc.
If you’d like to learn how you can further protect the integrity of your naked products, consider implementing an automating packaging process such as tray loading or carton loading.
Automation eliminates the amount of contact between your employees and your natural products, further preventing contamination.
Loading automation is more sanitary as it limits the number of people in contact with your product, and you don’t have to worry about employee hygiene. If you’d like more information about loading automation, you can learn more about tray-loading here on BluePrint Automation’s website. Peruse their website for a list of all their innovative automated packaging solutions and see how their packaging solutions could help your business handle and pack your raw produce today.
3. High-Quality Packaging Can Help Retain Freshness
Much like any business area, it’s vital that you do not skimp out on quality when it comes to the packaging of your product, especially if it’s naked produce.
Good quality packaging will help retain the freshness of your product by protecting it against changing temperatures, terms of light, humidity, the presence or absence of oxygen and any other factors it may face during transit.
Proper packaging is essential for this as the last thing that businesses want is for their product to reach an end-user in a less-than-satisfactory condition.
Otherwise, spoiled products and the negative reviews received could affect the business’s reputation and future sales.