ISHS Acta Horticulturae 135: VII Symposium on Horticultural Economics, XXI IHC
REDUCTION OF LOSSES DURING THE DISTRIBUTION OF FRESH MARKET VEGETABLES |
| Author: | T. Nilsson |
| Abstract:
Most of the vegetables produced in Sweden are grown in the south of the country and then distributed to the consumers over the whole country. However, the domestic production must, especially during the winter, be supplemented by import. This means that the main part of the vegetables consumed in Sweden is transported for some days or more before reaching the retail level. In Sweden, a country with an area of 450,000 km2 with a distance from the production areas in the south to the border in the north of more than 1,800 km, distribution is an essential part in the supply of fresh vegetables to all inhabitants. In order to keep the costs of the distribution low, various types of vegetables and even fruit are often loaded on the same lorry. Special attention must therefore be given in order to prevent quality deterioration. Several investigations carried out at our department have shown that the weakest chain in the distribution is the retail. Generally speaking, in most of the retail stores and supermarkets investigated, more efforts were made in order to achieve a sales-promoting display of perishable vegetables and less or nil in order to prolong the post-harvest life and overall quality of the products. | |
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