During the 18th century, all farm work was accomplished by hand — cultivating by using a hoe and grain cutting by swinging a sickle. Around 1830, it took approximately 300 working hours to produce 100 bushels of wheat. This was achieved by walking and using only hands.

Productivity in earlier years was not exactly meeting labor budgets like we must attain today. In the 1850s, there was never-ending labor in handling barrels and bushels of bulk produce in a grocery store.

By the 1930s and ‘40s, there were numerous small-sized neighborhood grocery stores popping up. They required clerks behind counters who waited on customers by selecting the items for them. Work methods were also not as efficient in those days without the modern equipment and principles we currently use.

Processing and preparing produce items at the store level also took time and labor to accomplish. Many steps had to be taken to trim items such as lettuce, celery, cabbage and other green leafy vegetables. Strawberries had to be sorted, culled, replaced back into pint and quart containers, then covered with cellophane before stocking on displays. In addition, the back room preparation areas had to constantly be cleaned and reorganized. The time, effort and labor costs ate up a large portion of the profits.

How long did it take to stock Iceberg lettuce in a produce department prior to the 1970s? When displays became depleted, a clerk would have to stop whatever he or she was working on and head for the back room or store basement to trim a number of boxes of lettuce and fill up the display. Then the lettuce trimmings had to be swept and packed into the trash. This task took place throughout the entire day — until wrapped lettuce came along.

With wrapped Iceberg lettuce, trimming was done in the field. Then the lettuce was film-wrapped, packed in cartons and pre-cooled. When the stores received a shipment, the produce manager simply opened the cartons and placed the heads on display. This eliminated all the extra time and labor from having to work each step at the store level. Of course, the per box cost was a bit higher, but much less expensive in labor. Besides, the displays were always easily kept stocked.

In today’s fast-paced world with highly challenged budgets, companies look for ways and means to simplify every work function to improve productivity.

Everything is associated with “time” and “performance” in the produce industry.

No matter if it’s in the growing fields, packing facilities, the retail stores, or on the consumer’s kitchen counter, there is a need to eliminate wasted energy.

Each movement we make must have common sense in performing the tasks to generate productive results.

One of the primary objectives of all produce businesses, other than to boost sales and profit, is to improve labor costs and productivity. This means that all equipment, methods, and motion economy must be made effective and efficient.

The computerization age has greatly moved productivity to higher levels, but more can be realized.

The first step in improving labor costs and productivity is in “work simplification.” The biggest challenge we have today is in changing some of the older work habits of people. Don’t be lax in making those changes.

They may have worked up until now, but now is when they must change course to meet new productivity trends.

Next, organize the actual workplace area and keep it neat. Store basic tools, equipment and materials in one workplace location. Eliminate unnecessary time walking back and forth and accomplishing very little.

Make a list of priority and secondary level tasks to be accomplished. Work on two or three of the highest priorities first. After finishing the priority tasks, the secondary list should be much easier. By all means, stop doing multitasking jobs that create timeless effort and confusion.

Many of today’s companies aim at the speed in which tasks get completed. Everything must get done faster than ever. However, mistakes come with too much speed as in “haste makes waste.” It is much better to take a little more time to achieve high-quality results.

How many times have you seen a produce employee hand-carrying a case of product out on the sales floor, resting it on a knee, stocking the display with one hand, then repeating the process over again? It happens in the real world.

There are ways to eliminate labor waste and boost productivity. It may be time for your produce operation to update many of these standards now.

Ron Pelger is the president and CEO of RonProCon, a consulting firm for the produce industry, and a co-founder of FreshXperts LLC, a group of produce professionals. He can be reached by phone at  775/853-7056 or 775/843-2394 (mobile) or by email at [email protected].