Let’s take a closer look at the major defects found as part of the Subtropical packed product analysis. Results showed that 4.65% of clusters in the consignment had a major defect. This is over the Woolworths’ specifications requiring no more than 2% of clusters with major defects per consignment. This could result in the consignment being rejected by the retailer. Although this number may sound small, the potential financial impact to growers is much larger, and that’s not even taking into account minor defects.
For example, if you were to receive $20 per carton for a consignment of 71 cartons, the total value is equal to $1,420. A grower could risk a reduction in the value or the complete rejection of their consignment in this instance. Further, the value of this potential loss doesn’t include any additional costs associated with packing or getting the fruit to market, such as transportation costs.
So, what were the major defects found and which were more common? The answer to those questions is presented in the figure below. All five of these are largely associated with poor post-harvest handling and packing procedures.