It is a commonly held belief that shipping out produce with the shortest remaining shelf life is the best way to reduce waste and increase profitability. So FEFO makes sense, but implementing an effective programme is not as easy as it sounds.
Perishables trading managers understand that real-time, quality monitoring during transit and storage is a key component to success. But it is only the first step.
An efficient cold chain management programme relies on the ability for immediate alerts when the storage and transit environment becomes less than optimal. It must also be able to promptly analyse data and issue reports detailing the residual shelf life of produce in each pallet, in order to facilitate educated logistics decisions. Both of these components are essential for fresh produce transactions to take place successfully, on a consistent, ongoing basis.
As an established supplier of modified atmosphere and modified humidity (MA/MH) packaging for post-harvest markets, StePac LA Ltd has become acutely aware that no matter how well designed and constructed MA/MH packaging is, its effectiveness can only be as strong as the weakest link in the supply chain.
In other words, the level of a system’s ability to monitor, manage and overcome potential cold chain supply shortcomings can impact significantly on the performance of StePac’s products. The company also realised some time ago that a comprehensive, real-time, monitoring programme for cold chain management did not yet exist. Israel Ben Tzur, founder and ceo of StePac, says: “Our Xtend® MA/MH packaging products are most effective in well-controlled environments where good post-harvest handling is practiced. Time after time, our customers convey to us their helplessness at the lack of control over the conditions their products are shipped and stored in.”
To address this, and taking advantage of recent technological advances such as RFID tags, GPS, smart sensors, wireless networks and quick data analysis, StePac has therefore developed Xsense™, a real-time, pallet-level, cold chain management programme.
“Xsense goes far beyond conventional traceability solutions to offer a comprehensive programme that helps packers, distributors and retailers realise substantial savings,” says Asaf Shachnai, director of sales and marketing at StePac. Because Xsense active radio frequency (RF) sensors are both disposable and affordable, they can be placed in each pallet of the shipment. Placing multiple sensing tags is important, because temperature and humidity varies greatly within the shipment confines, affecting the produce in each pallet differently. Xsense monitoring is unique, because it monitors actual produce temperature as well as that of the surrounding environment. Xsense pallet-level data collection is the secret to enabling true FEFO management.
How Xsense works
In the packhouse, Xsense disposable temperature and relative humidity RF tags are placed in hot spots in each pallet. From the moment the tags are placed and activated, they begin recording and transmitting data. “While RF tags are in use for a wide range of logistic applications, we found that there were no off-the-shelf temperature/humidity sensors that could effectively relay data at a cost feasible for use at the pallet level. So we developed our own solution,” explains Dr Gary Ward, StePac’s technology development director. StePac’s proprietary sensors overcome the inherent drawbacks of RF tags (namely transmission of small bits of information for very short distances), enabling data from all tags within the transport vessel to be transmitted via existing wireless networks to Xsense headquarters.
Once received, data is immediately processed to verify that atmospheric conditions in the transport environment are within the preset, acceptable range, which varies for each produce type. When these conditions are not met, real-time alerts are sent to logistics managers and supply chain stakeholders via mobile phone, email or paging devices. Transport teams are then notified in time to take corrective actions.
Shachnai says: “If the refrigerating unit has been inadvertently turned off, the driver, logistics or trading manager can be alerted as to the whereabouts of the vehicle and its cooling conditions so that the unit can be turned back on. But more importantly, our Xsense modelling can tell us when produce has been affected to the extent that its storage and shelf life has been compromised. In these cases, produce can be rerouted to closer destinations.” Xsense data analysis can also prove vital in helping to identify trouble spots along the supply chain.
Indeed, real-time, shelf-life prediction is a major Xsense feature. The system continuously analyses accumulated data to fine-tune its produce specific models. “Armed with per-pallet reports based on Xsense accumulative modelling, logistics managers can finally implement true FEFO management,” says Shachnai.
Produce-specific packaging
Since 1995, StePac has been broadening its Xtend line of MA/MH packaging solutions. Each Xtend product is engineered specifically for a certain fruit or vegetable, and to provide the correct balance between oxygen and carbon dioxide in order to preserve produce quality during storage and transportation. In addition, humidity levels are precisely regulated to allow excess moisture to escape into the environment, and thereby alleviate moisture-related problems.
Over the years, StePac has developed packaging solutions for more than 50 different fresh produce items. The most recent additions to this list include pomegranates and 10 of the most perishable herbs. The Xtend portfolio encompasses printed and non-printed retail, foodservice and bulk bags. During 2007, the Xtend product offering was expanded to include several new packaging types. Newly introduced lidding films for asparagus and berries are reported to have excellent anti-fog properties and shelf-life extension. Xtend modified atmosphere zip-lock bags for cherries were recently qualified and will be available for the upcoming season. Xtend Peal & Seal MA bags regenerate the modified atmosphere each time the bag is resealed, keeping produce in consumers’ refrigerators fresher longer.
Xtend + Xsense = successful fresh produce transactions
“By identifying an un-met market need and building on its accumulated knowledge in post-harvest science and logistics, StePac has been able to develop and now offer a comprehensive cold chain management solution that provides genuine tools that help increase supply chain efficiency and thus, profitability,” says Ben Tzur. “When implemented together, Xsense and Xtend ensure that fresher, more nutritious produce reaches the retail shelf.”
WAGNER BUILDS UK POTENTIAL
Xsense is being trialled with a number of products, and Shachnai believes it will be available to UK customers by the middle of the year.
In order to build on its potential and significantly increase its presence in the UK market, StePac recently recruited a new UK marketing manager, Rowena Wagner, pictured, as part of a concentrated effort to substantially grow its UK market presence. “UK growers, packers and retailers are keenly aware that finding the right packaging for their produce is no trivial matter. They know it plays an important role in helping to reduce supply chain wastage, extend shelf life and preserve the nutritional value and fresh appearance of their produce,” says Wagner. “StePac’s new lidding film, zip lock bags and peal & seal products answer real UK market needs.”
Wagner joins StePac’s growing team of marketers and scientists proficient in polymer science, microbiology, post-harvest science and fresh produce logistics.
In addition to its main laboratory in Israel, the company operates a fully equipped, post-harvest lab in São Paulo, Brazil, as well as sales and technical support offices at 12 locations around the world.
Wagner runs StePac’s UK marketing activities from an office in York and from the office in Rugby of parent company DS Smith.
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