Quantifying Postharvest Loss and the Implication of Market-Based Decisions: A Case Study of Two Commercial Domestic Tomato Supply Chains in Queensland, Australia

Tara J McKenzie; Lila Singh-Peterson; Steven J R Underhill

doi:10.3390/horticulturae3030044

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Quantifying Postharvest Loss and the Implication of Market-Based Decisions: A Case Study of Two Commercial Domestic Tomato Supply Chains in Queensland, Australia

Journal article

Open access

Peer reviewed

Quantifying Postharvest Loss and the Implication of Market-Based Decisions: A Case Study of Two Commercial Domestic Tomato Supply Chains in Queensland, Australia

Tara J McKenzie, Lila Singh-Peterson and Steven J R Underhill

Horticulturae, Vol.3(3), 44

2017

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/horticulturae3030044

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Abstract

food security

horticulture

tomato

postharvest loss

food loss and waste

private food policy and standards

destination of loss

Using a multi-disciplinary approach, this study quantifies horticultural postharvest losses of two medium-sized (annual pack volume 4500 t) commercial, domestic, tomato supply chains. Quantification of loss was based on weight or volume, consistent with direct measurement methods of the Food Loss and Waste Accounting and Reporting Standard 2016 and qualitative techniques were used to identify the drivers of the loss and contextualise the findings. Postharvest loss was found to be between 40.3% (55.34 t) and 55.9% (29.61 t) of the total harvestable product. It was determined that between 68.6% and 86.7% of undamaged, edible, harvested tomatoes were rejected as outgrades and consequently discarded due to product specifications. Between 71.2% and 84.1% of produced tomatoes were left in the field and not harvested. This study highlights significant factors contributing to high levels of food loss and waste. Edible products are being removed from the commercial food supply chain, rejected as outgrades deemed cosmetically defective due to marketbased decisions. With only 44.1% and 59.7% of the harvestable crop reaching the consumers of the two supply chains, respectively, it is perhaps more appropriate to describe a food "waste" chain as opposed to a food "supply" chain.

Details

Title: Quantifying Postharvest Loss and the Implication of Market-Based Decisions: A Case Study of Two Commercial Domestic Tomato Supply Chains in Queensland, Australia
Authors: Tara J McKenzie (Author) - University of the Sunshine Coast - Faculty of Science, Health, Education and Engineering
Lila Singh-Peterson (Author) - University of the Sunshine Coast - Faculty of Science, Health, Education and Engineering
Steven J R Underhill (Author) - University of the Sunshine Coast - Faculty of Science, Health, Education and Engineering
Publication details: Horticulturae, Vol.3(3), 44; 15
Publisher: MDPI AG
Date published: 2017
DOI: 10.3390/horticulturae3030044
ISSN: 2311-7524
Copyright note: Copyright © 2017 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
Organisation Unit: Australian Centre for Pacific Islands Research; School of Social Sciences - Legacy; University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland; Sustainability Research Cluster
Language: English
Record Identifier: 99450409702621
Output Type: Journal article

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