Selling produce surely seems like a simple business to the average consumer. Product enters the supermarket and put on display. Then, customers seek out the highest-quality fruit and vegetable items. They prefer each apple or green pepper to be close to perfection — almost as though they were developed in a produce manufacturing facility. In other words, shoppers want fresh produce to exceed their expectations. 

Plant it, grow it, harvest it, pack it, ship it, receive it, deliver it, display it, sell it and struggle to make a profit. Then repeat.

Have we indirectly coerced consumers into expecting perfection of product appearance over the years by becoming too sophisticated? “Yes,” said Anthony Totta of FreshXperts, a produce consulting group in Parksville, MO. “We’ve trained consumers with all the information of how to pick out the absolute very best product, but we haven’t focused enough on how the product tastes.”

Every grower wants to produce the most outstanding fruit or vegetable. They want to claim theirs is the best quality product grown on the face of the earth. That’s mainly because the major retailers have raised their entire produce standards over the past 25 years and now insist on every bit of a particular piece of fruit or vegetable be in 100 percent accord with their specifics. 

How and why did this perfection of standards happen? Where is it headed and how far will it reach? 

It could have started back in 1950 when the United Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Association sponsored the first Merchandising Managers’ Clinic. Produce people were getting educated in the way of product quality.

Secondly, the size of produce departments grew larger. Then came product variety and the availability factor. More display space, additional items and improved produce presentation energized the entire system. Gradually, the overall produce operation was getting better.

Thirdly, Americans became health conscious, eating more fruits and vegetables. Publicity in newspapers, magazines and television expanded on it by connecting the word nutrition with produce. Consumers began requesting better quality produce. 

Recently, competition among supermarket retailers has become more intense. Every produce executive is being challenged to get better with each new store that opens. They search for the best quality produce. Competition forces retailers to continue seeking and procuring the most premium quality product. The retailers kept improving quality practices that moved produce standards to higher levels.

The quality standards will continue to be put through retailer demands toward perfection. Production of the finest quality produce by growers will continue to move forward as the expectation levels rise with the ever-growing need for healthier fruit and vegetables by consumers.

Advanced technology in the produce industry has certainly been a leading factor in improving product quality. Growers now have a better handle on specific commodities from valuable data — prior to planting up to the shipping period. Their equipment is getting better using modern artificial intelligence techniques. The growers are getting better and better at producing that perfect piece of produce as retailers and consumers continue to demand it. 

Other areas are improving as well — equipment, packaging material, transportation, cold chain, merchandising, product identification, advertising and safety.

There is no such thing as perfection, but the growers are doing an amazing job at producing outstanding quality fruits and vegetables. The consumers continue to want higher quality, and the produce industry is listening to them. 

Ron Pelger is a produce industry adviser and industry writer. He can be contacted at 775-843-2394 or by e-mail at [email protected].