What causes produce to rot?

Some of the primary culprits are air, moisture, light, temperature, and microbial growth. Most fruits and vegetables spoil easily because of damage caused by microorganisms. Microorganisms such as bacteria, yeast and molds need water and nutrients for growth, energy and reproduction.

How do you keep produce fresh when shipping?

Your fresh produce should be heavily bubble-wrapped and padded, and beyond the cardboard, surrounded by cooling packs and insulated pads. Handy little items like polystyrene or polyurethane foam will help to reduce the amount of heat transferred to the items, as well as maintain the temperature in the actual box.

How are fruits shipped?

Typically shipping fresh fruit or shipping fresh produce involves a few different steps which can slow down productivity. For example, fruits are loaded into a corrugated box then added to a pallet, then shrink wrap is added or banding is used to keep the boxes on the pallet.

How do you transport fresh fruits and vegetables?

Pack produce into sturdy, opaque, breathable containers. Waxed cardboard boxes work well; plastic storage containers with holes drilled in them are also suitable. Fragile fruits and vegetables, such as peaches and tomatoes, should be packed in a single layer.

What are the environmental impacts of shipping fresh produce over long distances?

Transporting food over long distances also generates great quantities of carbon dioxide emissions. Some forms of transport are more polluting than others. Airfreight generates 50 times more CO2 than sea shipping.

Can you mail fruit from state to state?

You can only send fruit from one state to another. If you require shipping fruit to another country, then you have to be licensed by the government. You can only send fruit that is allowed by the state laws. These include the state you are sending from and the state you are shipping to.

How are fruits imported?

Imports are made when the same are not grown here or whatever grown is not sufficient to satisfy the demand. Sometimes superior quality produces are also imported. Fruits like Kiwi, dates, apples, fig, pears, cherries, peaches etc. Of late we see items like Rambutan and dragon fruit also in many markets.

What is fruit decomposition?

Decay is an essential step in the reproductive process of fruiting plants – the decomposition of flesh frees and feeds the seeds of the fruit to grow into a new plant. While disease can strike a fruit at any stage of life, fruit naturally becomes more vulnerable to disease over time.