Fresh Produce Discussion Blog

Created by The Packer's National Editor Tom Karst

Sunday, June 22, 2008

Tomato repacking - whys and wherefores

It is only speculation at this point, but perhaps part of the difficulty in the FDA's traceback investigation - gaining some speed but still crawling along at this point - may come from the practice of co-mingling of fruit from different origins by tomato repackers. One respected industry leader told me recently that co-mingling of product from different origins may be done for a variety of reasons, but perhaps the main two factors would be creating a more consistent quality/maturity pack and altering the price point by mixing less expensive (but not necessarily poorer quality fruit) with more expensive fruit. From a broader perspective, The Packer's Tom Burfield recently looked at the role of repackers in the tomato business:

From the June 2 edition of The Packer:


When a buyer opens a carton to find tomatoes of consistent color and size, he may well be observing the handiwork of a skilled repacker.

"Repackers are extremely important in our business," said Jeff Dolan, field operations manager for DiMare Newman, Newman, Calif.

Whether a farmer grows mature-green or vine-ripe tomatoes, there's an inherent lack of uniformity in ripening, Dolan said. The repacker's job is to put together a uniform box for customers to use that day or within a couple of days after they receive product.

With rising labor costs, retailers want to be able to open a box and stock their shelves directly from the carton, said John Lupul, president of JTL Produce Sales Inc., Stockton, Calif. They don't want to have to worry that grade or color will be inconsistent.

Repackers probably buy most of the tomatoes that are on the market these days, said David Cook, sales manager for Deardorff Family Farms, Oxnard, Calif. He estimated repackers buy 90% of the mature-green tomatoes alone.

"They are a very important part of the business," he said.

Besides tomatoes, they typically repack squash, beans and cucumbers because they are all temperature-compatible, Cook said.

Most produce houses have a tomato department where they repack themselves or they deal with repackers.

Andrew & Williamson Fresh Produce, San Diego, has reduced its reliance on repackers by introducing a customer-direct program over the past five years, said Mark Munger, vice president of marketing.

In the past, 97% of the company's tomato business went through repackers.

"Repackers add a lot of value for most shippers by making packs more consistent," Munger said.

A company assumes more risk when it makes the decision to deliver directly to a retailer, Munger said. Repackers reap the benefits of an industry that to a large extent is not willing to take that risk.

Although Andrew & Williamson now delivers most of its own product direct, repackers still play an important role.

"For the most part, we do a pretty good job of delivering direct, but there are times when we want another set of eyes on (tomatoes) before they go to our customers," Munger said.

Quality issues sometimes arise when the company transitions from one growing area to another, he said, and the expertise of repackers, whom Munger refers to as "partners in profit," can come in handy at those times.

But industry advances may reduce grower-shippers' reliance on repackers in the future, said Brian Bernauer, sales director at Fresh Pac International, Oceanside, Calif.

The proliferation of shade houses in Baja California and improved tomato varieties means that "consistency of size, color and quality is so much better that most of the (product) doesn't need to be repacked anymore," he said.

Repackers were needed because of inconsistent coloring and occasional scarring that resulted from the variables involved with growing a crop outdoors, he said. Shade houses help a grower produce tomatoes that are much improved.

"I'm not saying (grower-shippers) don't need and use repackers," Bernauer said, "but their whole role may change and shift a little bit."

Before Andrew & Williamson started doing most of its own repacking, salesmen had no idea where the company's product would end up, Munger said. Now, they can tell which customer will receive which box, but the change did not come without challenges.

Repackers can deliver the color a buyer wants seven days a week.

"Our challenge was to meet repackers' standards," Munger said, and that was no easy task.

"It means you've got to go all the way back to the field and redesign your entire program to make sure you've got a quality focus and that you understand your product is ripening after it leaves your facility," he said.

Most repackers are excellent operators, Munger said.

"They know the product and their customer base," he said.

When looking for a repacker, Dolan said, a grower-shipper should develop a relationship with firms that buy on a consistent basis and pay in a timely manner.


TK: How will timeworn strategic and intelligent decisions by repackers to maximize their utility to customers be altered by new food safety/traceability concerns? That's a big question as Congress, FDA and industry work through solutions to make the current outbreak the last of its kind. In any case, accurate record keeping will be much important to all links in the tomato supply chain.


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Raw reaction: Consumers on tomatoes/salmonella

How do consumers feel about food in the wake of the tomatoes/salmonella outbreak? Here are some "man on the street" reactions published June 22 from the Eastern newspaper The Herald-Mail.

The second question was: In light of the recent recall of some types of tomatoes because of a salmonella scare, do you feel secure that the food you eat, whether vegetables, fruit, dairy or meat, is safe?

"Just like the bird flu and the many other 'scares' we see all the time from our media friends, this was way overblown."

"With our government being afraid to upset the other countries that import foodstuffs to this country, yet letting them stop our imports of foods to their people every time something comes up they don't like, we should demand that we have the same option, to stop the food from South America and Mexico, when things like this start. We have yet to get our inspectors in to Mexico, as they are reluctant for us to send them in to check."

"I voted yes. The number of people who are usually victims of these salmonella scares are small. We have probably all had salmonella at one time or another as a result of our own neglect of proper cooking or cleaning up or not washing our hands. On the whole, I believe our foods are safe."

"Much safer than some restaurants. Reading the ratings is pretty disgusting. Same violations over and over. Improper hand-washing facilities or lack of hand-washing supplies seems to be very common and is very unsafe."

"I look at it this way ... one day, something is good for you, then the next, it is bad. So who is to say what the heck is good or back. If you like it, eat it. End of story."

"I'd rather go a little quicker than laying around for a month with E. coli or salmonella. If more people don't buy possibly tainted products, the producers might clean up their act to avoid bankruptcy. Small unknowing children don't have a choice. They have to eat whatever us caring, intelligent adults give them. If we want to roll the dice ourselves, go for it, but look out for the innocents."

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FDA's June 20 Update

From the FDA's Web page:

The FDA has completed the traceback for some of the tomatoes associated with the salmonella outbreak. The agency has been able to trace the pathway of some tomatoes from the point of purchase (e.g. supermarket) or consumption (e.g. restaurant) to each point on the distribution chain down to certain farms in Mexico and Florida.

The FDA is now working to narrow the investigation. As part of this, the agency is sending teams of multi-disciplinary experts to both Mexico and Florida this weekend to conduct joint inspections of the farms and other critical points on the supply chain where the tomatoes may have become contaminated.

The FDA investigators will conduct joint inspections with regulators in Mexico and Florida at the farms and other distribution points. Meanwhile, the FDA will continue to collect samples of tomatoes and conduct traceback activities.

To further narrow the investigation, the FDA is working with the state of Texas to traceback a cluster of illnesses recently found by the state of Texas. We are hopeful that this will provide additional information to bring the agency closer to the source of the contamination.

The FDA is working jointly with Mexico and Florida and other states to update the list of areas not associated with the outbreak and will continue to post the information on the web site.

Raw red plum, red Roma, and red round tomatoes, harvested from one of the sources that FDA has identified below are NOT associated with the outbreak and are acceptable to eat. Cherry tomatoes, grape tomatoes, tomatoes sold with the vine still attached, from all sources, and tomatoes grown at home are also not linked to the outbreak and can be eaten.
Update on the Outbreak

June 20, 2008: At this time, FDA recommends consuming raw red plum, raw red Roma, or raw red round tomatoes only if grown and harvested from the following areas that HAVE NOT BEEN ASSOCIATED WITH THE OUTBREAK:

* Alabama
* Alaska
* Arkansas
* California
* Colorado
* Connecticut
* Delaware
* Florida (counties of: Jackson, Gadsden, Leon, Jefferson, Madison, Suwannee, Hamilton, Hillsborough, Polk, Manatee, Hardee, DeSoto, Sarasota, Highlands, Pasco, Sumter, Citrus, Hernando, Charlotte)*
* Georgia
* Hawaii
* Illinois
* Indiana
* Iowa
* Kansas
* Kentucky
* Louisiana
* Maine
* Maryland
* Massachusetts
* Michigan
* Minnesota
* Mississippi
* Missouri
* New Hampshire
* New Jersey
* New Mexico
* New York
* Nebraska
* North Carolina
* Ohio
* Oklahoma
* Pennsylvania
* South Carolina
* Tennessee
* Texas
* Utah
* Vermont
* Virginia
* Washington
* West Virginia
* Wisconsin
* Belgium
* Canada
* Dominican Republic
* Guatemala
* Israel
* Mexican States (Aguascalientes, Baja California Norte, Baja California Sur, Campeche, Colima, Chiapas, Chihuahua, Distrito Federal, Durango, Guanajuato, Guerrero, Hidalgo, México, Michoacán, Morelos, Nayarit, Nuevo León, Oaxaca, Puebla, Querétaro, Quintana Roo, San Luis Potosí, Sonora, Tobasco, Tamaulipas, Tlaxcala, Veracruz, Yucatán, Zacatecas) New!
* Netherlands
* Puerto Rico

* Shipments of tomatoes harvested in these counties are acceptable with a certificate issued by the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services.

Consumers who are unsure of where the tomatoes are from that they have in their home are encouraged to contact the store or place of purchase for that information. If consumers are unable to determine the source of the tomatoes, they should not be eaten.

Consumers should also be aware that raw tomatoes are often used in the preparation of fresh salsa, guacamole, and pico de gallo, are part of fillings for tortillas, and are used in other dishes.

Types of tomatoes not linked to any illnesses are cherry tomatoes, grape tomatoes, and tomatoes with the vine still attached.

Since mid April, there have been 552 reported cases of salmonellosis nationwide caused by Salmonella Saintpaul, an uncommon form of Salmonella. At least 53 hospitalizations have been reported. Investigation of Outbreak of Infections Caused by Salmonella Saintpaul (CDC) [en Español]

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More from Lou Dobbs on tomatoes and salmonella

You know the industry has had a bad spell when you start to see strange characters uploading youtube videos suggesting Bush has created the tomatoes/salmonella scare to draw attention away from high gas prices and the war in Iraq. It's a conspiracy, you see. More from mainstream critic/newsman Lou Dobbs below......



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