TABLE GRAPE PUNNET PACKAGING: THE INFLUENCE OF CHECK-WEIGHING

Abstract

Most of South Africas table grapes are exported to the EU and the UK. In recent years, pre-packaged table grapes are now preferred in many European supermarkets. This increased demand has resulted in stringent quality standards, including the specification of punnet mass. Locally, table grapes are packed manually using seasonal labour, who often have limited formal education. Punnets must conform to upper and lower mass limits, but many deviations occur due to human and machine error. Check-weighing proved effective in reducing out-of-specification punnets, but human and machine errors were still problem factors.

Keywords

• Table grapes
• Packaging