1100-WFW-Lake Alfred, Florida 33850

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1 New Lette No. 43 CS Febuay 18, WFW-Lake Alfed, Floida Edito: W. F. Wadowski Havesting and Handling Section Univesity of Floida Agicultual Reseach and Education Cente P. 0. Box 1088 Lake Alfed, Floida UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA INSTITUTE OF FOOD AND AGRICULTURAL SCIENCES and STATE OF FLORIDA, DEPARTMENT OF CITRUS *Anyone wishing to eceive this newslette may send a dozen stamped, peaddessed envelopes to the above addess.

2 Newslette No. 43 CS Febuay 18, WFW-Lake Alfed, Floida Havesting and Handling Section PACKINGHOUSE NEWSLETTER PERISHABLES HANDLING CONFERENCE, JANUARY 9-11, 1972 Oigin and Scope.--The Peishables Handling Confeence held on the Univesity of Floida campus, Gainesville, was the fist, but pobably not the last, such confeence. The meeting culminated seveal yeas of discussion and planning including a peliminay meeting in Septembe, 1970, of an Industy Advisoy Committee of packes, tanspotes, and eceives. The confeence was national in scope, with 168 egistants fom 22 states, Canada, and the Nethelands. Commodity goup meetings (Fesh Fuits & Vegetables, Flowes & Foliage Plants, Fozen Foods, and Meats & Poulty) wee intespesed with geneal sessions. Vigoous discussion fom the floo was the ule in both geneal and commodity sessions. Main Poblems.--Any poblem associated with fuits and vegetables involves factos fom seed (planting) to feed (use), but we concentated on those pimaily associated with packaging, tanspotation, waehousing, and distibution. Cayle Shewin, Vice Pesident, Gand Union Company, though excellent slides and an outstanding pesentation, illustated some difficulties elating to containes and labeling. A caton is usually coveed with lage coloful lettes and pictues advetising the packe and his band, while it vey often lacks a legible indication of the contents, e.g., vaiety, size, and count o weight. M. Shewin pointed out that the supemaket delivey tucks ae loaded in the dak ealy hous of the moning. The waehousemen and dives often cannot detemine what is in a caton in ode to make the pope stoe deliveies. A second handicap to M. Shewin and all othe eceives is the lack of standadization of containes, not only within citus, but acoss all poduce. A caton that packs well, ships well, holds up well and uses waehouse cubic space to good advantage can still be a headache if it does not stack well on a standad 48" x 40" gocey pallet alone o when mixed with containes of apples, caots, peaches, beans, potatoes, tomatoes, and yes, even gapes and watemelons. This is the type of mixed pallet that goes out to individual stoes. The question of how to maintain good quality in all poduce was fequently discussed. Geneally, we know what needs to be accomplished, but ae unable to follow though and do the job. Catons ae ove-filled (specifically mentioned as a poblem in citus). Themostats ae set too low o too high o not at all. Delays detimental to quality occu in packing, shipping, and unloading. Necessay pecooling is sometimes inadequate o nonexistent. Good quality is good fo eveyone gowe, shippe, caie, eceive, and consume. The poblem that was not solved at the confeence is who will pay fo impoved methods that benefit eveyone. The obvious answe, that eveyone who benefits should contibute to the investment and ultimately the consume will pay moe fo consistent and bette quality, was not eached. Pehaps some small coopeative pojects among shippe,

3 Newslette No Febuay 18, 1972 caie, and eceive will ultimately gow into lage coopeative pojects whee the costs of supplying lage volumes of bette quality poduce can be shaed. Value of the Confeence.--The paticipants gave a vote of confidence by oganizing anothe industy planning committee to establish a second Peishables Handling Confeence. We do not know now when o whee the confeence will meet, but ou advice to citus shippes is GOl You can gain a geat deal of infomation and you will use (not lose) only a few days. Many of those attending sat down fo the fist time in the same oom and discussed mutual poblems. Many people wee supised to find that numeous difficulties in handling gapefuit, beef, and fozen foods ae identical. But one question was head too often Whee ae you citus shippes? Futhe Infomation.--A poceedings including fomal pesentations and much of the floo discussion is being pepaed. Registeed paticipants will eceive a copy of the poceedings. Fo othes, it will be fo sale and will be listed as available in Packinghouse Newslette. W. Wadowski Extension Sevice W. Gieson Hoticultuist PACKINGHOUSE DAY, SEPTEMBER 27, 1972 The Eleventh Annual Packinghouse Day is scheduled Wednesday, Septembe 27, 1972, at the Agicultual Reseach & Education Cente, Lake Alfed. Suggested speakes and/o topics ae welcome at this time as the pogam is now being planned. The Packinghouse Newslette will supply additional details in a late issue. Mak you calenda now to eseve the whole day, Wednesday, Septembe 27, Edito TROPICAL REGION, ASHS MEETING Lima, Peu is the site fo the 20th Annual Meeting of the Topical Region, Ameican Society fo Hoticultual Science, August 13-19, Now is the time to indicate you intentions to attend and submit titles of poposed papes. A peliminay egistation fom may be equested fom: D. T. T. Hatton, J. USDA/MQRD 2120 Camden Road Olando, Floida Edito

4 Newslette No Febuay 18, 1972 SECRETARY OF COMMERCE RECOMMENDS, U. S. GO METRIC The Secetay of Commece ecently tansmitted to Congess the Repot of the U.S. Metic Study, which was conducted ove a 3-yea peiod by the National Bueau of Standads. The essence of the Repot, which is titled A Metic Ameica, is that the United States should convet to the metic system though a govenmentbacked, coodinated national pogam ove a 10-yea peiod. The Secetay of Commece ageed with the conclusion of the Repot that the U.S. should convet to the metic system, and ecommended: That the United States change to the Intenational Metic System delibeately and caefully; That this be done though a coodinated national pogam; That the Congess assign the esponsibility fo guiding the change, and anticipating the kinds of special poblems descibed in the epot, to a cental coodinating body esponsive to all sectos of ou society; ---That within this guiding famewok, detailed plans and timetables be woked out by these sectos themselves; That ealy pioity be given to educating evey Ameican schoolchild and the public at lage to think in metic tems; That immediate steps be taken by the Congess to foste U,S. paticipation in intenational standads activities; That in ode to encouage efficiency and minimize the oveall costs society, the geneal ule should be that any changeove costs shall "lie whee they fall11; That the Congess, afte deciding on a plan fo the nation, establish a taget date ten yeas ahead, by which time the U.S. will have become pe dominately, though not exclusively, metic; That thee be a fim govenment commitment to this goal. PPMA Repot Septembe 1, 1971

5 Newslette No Febuay 18, 1972 AVAILABLE PUBLICATIONS Available fom D. W. Wadowski, Havesting & Handling Section, Agicultual Reseach and Education Cente, P. 0. Box 1088, Lake Alfed, Floida 33850, "Tangeine Handling11 by W. Gieson, A. A. McConack, and F. W. Haywad. Ext. Cic May, "Pactical Measues fo Contol of Stem-end Rind Beakdown of Oanges11 by A. A. McConack and W. Gieson. Ext. Cic May, The following wee pesentations at the Fesh Fuits and Vegetables commodity wokshop, Peishables Handling Confeence, Gainesville, Januay 9-11, The listed costs cove Xeox chages. "Decay Contol in Deliveing Peishables" by D. Louis Beaha, Pathologist, USDA, Chicago, 111 $.70. "Havesting, Pepaation and Packaging Fuits" by D. W. Gieson, Pofesso of Fuit Cops, Univesity of Floida, Lake Alfed, Fla. $.60. "Equipment and Facilities fo Handling and Pecooling Vegetables" by M. R. K. Showalte, Pofesso of Vegetable Cops, Univesity of Floida, Gainesville, Fla. $.50. "Refigeation Systems and Loading Pattens" by M. W. F. Goddad, Enginee, USDA, Olando, Fla. $1.00. j^^k