Fresh Notes: Packhouse Action Group (PAG) Meeting
Held on 10 August 2023
Website Feedback
Contact: Elise-Marie Steenkamp
- Top downloads (March–August 2023):
- Protocol for Dynamic CA storage of South African apples and pear cultivars (2017) – 2536 downloads
- PAG Water and Electricity – Benchmark results phase 4 (Dianca Yssel) – 2488 downloads
- Productivity SA Presentation (Christel Potgieter) – 2248 downloads
- Quo Vadis – Long term CA storage regimes of Cripps’ Pink apples and fruit quality – 2106 downloads
- PAG water benchmark results – Phase 5 – 2088 downloads
- Cripps’ Pink Internal Browning and long-term Storage – what has been learnt (H Taylor, E Crouch, D Viljoen) – 2081 downloads
- Page statistics (March–August 2023):
- 231 page views (220 unique)
- Bounce rate: 81%
- Average page view duration: 3:10 minutes
The high bounce rate indicates most visitors specifically search for this page and stay on it, rather than finding it by chance and leaving quickly.
Hortgro Website Sessions by Country (May–July 2023)
- South Africa: 12,499 (76.71%)
- Germany: 1,099 (6.75%)
- United States: 516 (3.17%)
Container Efficiency and Certification
Contact: Bernard Henning / Werner van Rooyen
- 23 container temperature failures reported this season (compared to 1 last season).
- No recourse from shipping lines.
- Responsibility for the cool-down test for containers lies with PPECB and shipping lines.
Logistics Chain Efficiencies
Contact: Jacques du Preez
- Updates on wind delays, equipment upgrades, meetings with Transnet and the National Logistics Crises Committee.
- In previous years, shipping delays increased quality claims (37% of plum arrivals in 2022 had quality issues).
- A ±20% increase in pome, stone, and table grape volumes for 2023/24 equates to ±3,000 extra pallets or 16 additional specialised reefer vessels needed during the windy period (weeks 1–9).
- Exporters using conventional shipping vessels should follow the original “blue book” disciplines (close hatches, activate cooling during downtimes).
- Use of Geo loggers is advised.
Plastics Strategy
Contact: Dr Malcolm Dodd
- The Plastic Work Group has set up a plastic component matrix (green, amber, red classification) for the UK market.
- Minor editing will be finalised before updating the document on the website.
- There is a growing need for an Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) work group to address packaging recycling, food waste, sustainability, environmental, carbon, and HR issues.
- Plastic packaging component matrix (green, amber, red) in pome protocols
Environmental Producer Responsibility (EPR)
Contact: Bryce MacIntyre
- Pallet strapping, flow wrap, and expanded polystyrene (EPS) are not currently recycled locally.
- Packhouses should insist on suppliers providing separate colours for strapping to allow visual separation for recycling PET (opaque) and PP (white).
Packhouse Benchmarking Project
Contact: Willem Coetzee / Hendrik Claassen
- Change in service provider has delayed packhouse benchmarks.
- Participants should continue to record benchmarking data for later analysis.
Packhouse Water and Energy Management Projects
Contact: Eddie Vienings
- Budget for continuation of these projects has been submitted to Hortgro.
New EU Measures on Packaging and Packaging Waste
Contact: J du Preez
- The EU has notified the WTO TBT Committee of plans to revise packaging rules, supporting the target that all packaging is reusable or recyclable by 2030.
- The proposal sets out a long-term framework with increasingly ambitious measures and sustainability requirements for exporters of packaged food products.
- The document mainly addresses packaging recycling and target dates.
- EU Packaging Proposal
Market Access Feedback
Contact: Jacques du Preez / Lindi Benic
- Mexico: Volumes just under 130,000; 37% rejections. Two OFM interceptions by Mexican inspectors.
- Taiwan: Two codling moth interceptions; immediate suspension of the market.
- Thailand: DALRRD received a draft apple protocol (similar to USA). Orchard and packhouse registration required. Industry response submitted; Thai inspectors invited for PUC and PHC inspections in February.
- Philippines: Industry response sent via DALRRD regarding apple pest risk assessment.
Essential Fruit Knowledge
Contact: Johan Strydom
- Since deregulation, the pool of trained and experienced fruit logistics staff has diminished.
- 85% of delegates at a logistics conference indicated their knowledge was gained through on-the-job training; few had formal training.
- Johan Strydom compiled training presentations to provide staff with essential knowledge to understand “why” and not just “what” when making decisions.
- Over 200 delegates have attended these sessions; feedback is very positive.
- Modules cover several fruit types and cold chain procedures, with sessions lasting about 2 hours.
- Training conveys the urgency of maintaining the cold chain and understanding consequences when it is not maintained.
- Small groups (about 12 delegates) can be accommodated at a time.
Training covers:
- Different categories of fruit
- Unique qualities of fruit
- Varietal spread
- Geographical production areas
- Seasonal delivery patterns and logistics impact
- Major defects and operational impacts
- The cold chain
- Demands for each link in the export supply chain
- Packaging requirements
- Palletisation methods and logistics impact
- Container loading
- International markets served
- Training will be offered again to packhouses, cold store staff, and operational personnel from September to December 2023 at Hortgro facilities or as in-house training.
- Fees depend on group size and venue cost.
- Interested organisations can contact Johan at pslog@mweb.co.za.
PAG Disciplines and Coordinators
Please contact the relevant person if you have any queries regarding the PAG.
- Chairman: Koos Bouwer (bouweb@orangenet.co.za)
- Engineering: Henk Ryke (henk@tad.co.za), Koos Bouwer (bouweb@orangenet.co.za)
- Packaging: Dr Malcolm Dodd (malcolm@alaceraer.co.za), Bryce MacIntyre (bryce.macintyre@gmail.com)
- Environmental Footprint: Eddie Vienings (eddie@bluenorth.co.za), Hugh Campbell (hugh@hortgro.co.za)
- Packhouse Large: Francois Malan (francois.malan@cfg.co.za), Willem Coetzee (willem@dutoit.com), Hein Punt (info@lanko.co.za)
- Packhouse Small: Hendrik Claassen (hendrik@bellafrutta.co.za), Thinus Loock (thinus@jjloock.co.za)
- Post-Harvest Quality: Dr Elke Crouch (elke@sun.ac.za), Henk Griessel (henkg@tru-cape.co.za), Jaco Moelich (jaco.moelich@fruitways.co.za)
- Logistics: Johan Strydom (pslog@mweb.co.za), Andy Connell (andy@abarc.co.za)
- Communication Strategy: Richard Hurndall (hurndallr@gmail.com), Koos Bouwer (bouweb@orangenet.co.za), Elise-Marie Steenkamp (elise-marie@hortgro.co.za)
- PPECB: Bernardus Henning (bernardush@ppecb.com)
- FPEF: Werner van Rooyen (werner@fpef.co.za)
- DALRRD:
- Director: Food Safety and Quality Assurance, Billy Makhafola (BillyM@daff.gov.za)
- Regional Manager: NPPPIS WC Directorate: Inspection Services, Gcobani Tsako (GcobaniT@daff.gov.za)
- Hortgro: Jacques du Preez (jacques@hortgro.co.za), Lindi Benic (lindi@hortgro.co.za)
- Research: Prof Wiehann Steyn (wiehann@hortgro.co.za)
- SIZA: Werner van Dyk (werner@siza.co.za)