Using IFCO Reusable Packaging Containers (RPCs) ensures the safe transport of perishable foods and lengthens their shelf life. This is good news for food quality, as a higher percentage of fresh produce reaches the Point of Sale (POS) intact and they remain fresh longer. For retailers, this boosts sales and reduces waste.
IFCO RPCs preserve the quality of your food – and our business operations also provide consistently high quality. IFCO headquarters and all of our service centers are ISO 9001 certified for our quality management system and the ability to consistently provide products and services that meet customer and regulatory requirements.
Our business exists to serve you. Protecting perishable food in transit while preserving its freshness is key to reducing food waste through damage and spoilage. Our mission is to work with growers, retailers and our customers along the entire fresh food supply chain to ensure they are able to deliver an abundance of safe, high quality, fresh, nutritious and affordable food to millions of consumers around the world.
In supermarkets and produce displays, consumers judge how fresh, firm, colorful or ripe fruits and vegetables are. When you want to make sure fresh produce arrives at retail destinations in the best possible condition and last longer, transport fruits and vegetables in IFCO RPCs. They help you to boost sales and lower waste.
IFCO RPCs let you avoid or reduce handling risks at every stage of the food supply chain. And the faster cooling provided by IFCO RPCs prolongs product freshness. As the world’s largest pooling system, our aim is to protect food and keep it fresher longer. The key characteristics of IFCO RPCs reduce food waste and ensure higher-quality produce.
Specifically engineered to protect easily-bruised goods, IFCO RPCs are ideal for automated distribution centers and high-bay warehouses. Our one-touch handling also serves to reduce damage to fruit and vegetables along the entire food supply chain.
Pallet stacks remain secure and stable, which means they do not collapse and crush produce. IFCO RPCs are display-ready, so retailers don’t need to repack fruits or vegetables at Point of Sale (POS). When produce on display has been sold, employees need only to swap out empty crates for full ones. Less manual handling helps to avoid damage to delicate produce.
Comparative studies have proven that fresh produce items have a longer shelf life when packed in IFCO RPCs. The studies confirmed that the ventilation provided by our RPCs is key to maintaining proper cold chain temperature and moisture from harvest to retailer. Researchers concluded that fruits and vegetables packed in IFCO RPCs remained firmer, showed less mold, had fresher vines and stems, and that a higher percentage remained marketable.
IFCO RPCs also ensure that pallets of merchandise receive the necessary ventilation to maintain temperature during transportation and storage, even for hard-to-reach products in the middle of pallets. The ventilation of IFCO RPCs plays a pivotal role in prolonging product life by helping to eliminate field heat more rapidly during precooling.
Shipped in IFCO RPCs, fruits and vegetables keep their freshness longer, and this benefit extends to consumers’ homes. Overall, extending product shelf life means fewer lost sales for retailers, less food waste and fewer resources expended. Longer shelf life means fewer lost sales, less food waste and fewer resources expended!
Advances in technology are also playing an important role in today’s food supply chain. Active and passive monitoring ensures an unbroken cold chain. Software systems help manage packaging and product inventory and compliance reporting. Through automation, commissioning is fast and precise.
Among pooling providers, IFCO is a leader in digitalization. Our IFCO RPCs are ready for tomorrow’s tech trends, for example, with Data Matrix labels that enable track-and-trace of shipments. Innovation such as this helps reduce delays in disposition, shortens the time produce spends in transport, and maintains food freshness and quality. IFCO RPCs enable faster distribution and commissioning, a more efficient supply chain results in higher-quality produce.
