Fruit “Mishandled” In U.K. Markets
(New Zealand Press Association) NELSON, August 25. Cases of New Zealand fruit were not handled, but “mishandled,” in British markets, said Mr S. D. Sinclair, a member of the Apple and Pear Board and a Nelson orchardist. He described to the Nelson conference of the Fruitgrowers’ Federation what he had found during a recent visit to Britain and the Continent.
In markets such as Covent Garden he saw cases carried on the shoulder and dumped from it to the ground, others “chucked round and even stood on,” he said. "Mechanised handling as we know it does not exist,” said Mr Sinclair. "Fork lifts are still a novelty in most markets and 98 per cent of the fruit is manhandled. The markets have evolved over the centuries and are not designed for mechanised handling.”
“When Mr Sinclair tried to get strapped pallets of fruit cases handled on the pallets without being broken up he had great difficulty in persuading merchants to try this. When they would handle whole pallets at a time he was able to show them that, contrary to their general disbelief, most of the bruising did not occur in New Zealand.
Strapped pallets of fruit, handled by fork lifts until they reached retailers’ establishments, resulted in the fruit being in ideal condition.
“There was still room for improvement in the strapping of cases on pallets,” said Mr Sinclair. “Four cases of 54 I saw opened after removal from a strapped pallet had some bruising of the fruit from the pressure of the straps on the cases. The rest, however, were in beautiful condition.
“Strapped pallets are not the full answer to the bruising problem as few British retailers are big enough to take a full pallet.” The second experimental
shipment made by the board had been delayed at sea, but the apples in trays in wooden cases and those in cartons had both arrived in Britain in good order. Mr Sinclair did not think however, that this method of shipment was the complete answer to shipping. Cartons should not be stacked more than eight to 10 high because of the weight of the lower cartons caused some bruising.
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Bibliographic details
Press, Volume CII, Issue 30219, 26 August 1963, Page 12
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365Fruit “Mishandled” In U.K. Markets Press, Volume CII, Issue 30219, 26 August 1963, Page 12
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