How to Start Fruit and Vegetable Packhouse Business
An integrated pack house intending to export needs to
follow guidelines for export. This include standardization, quality testing, and
traceability to meet international standards. Packhouse processing includes
safely handling the raw materials, holding and pre-inspection.
Premium is placed on food safety, hygiene, quality, traceability. Others are sorting the produce, grading them, weighing, washing and standardized treatment. There is quality control, packaging, pre-cooling, cold room storage. The package product for export goes through quarantine.
Start Fruit and Vegetable Packhouse
Pack
house Requirements
A packhouse handles/processes fresh farm produce such as
fruits and vegetables. An investor needs to have adequate facility to handle
multiple produce. Infrastructure is expected to comply with state and federal
laws.
A general requirement for fruits export to European Union
is sanitary inspection. Therefore the facility must maintain high quality,
disinfested vehicles and storage area. Packaging should meet international
standards with easy traceability.
Pack
Houses Responsibility
Responsibility of pack houses include proper design of
facility, disinfected area. Others are procurement of raw material, good
location. Other considerations are farm registration number, date of
registration/renewal date. It is important to have a pest proof facility,
conduct periodic application of prophylactic treatment around the facility.
Make sure to providing exclusive plant quarantine inspection use of high quality equipment. Provide a separate storage area, and approved packaging box. On the label include the farms address, location, total land area, type of crop produced.
Agriculture in Israel
Terms
for registering a farm for export of fruits and vegetables
There are terms and conditions to register a farm for
export of fruits and vegetables. Conditions include maintenance and monitoring
of farm by appropriate authorities. They are monitored by state department of
agriculture.
This is to ascertain the farming practice, use of
pesticide type of crop produced and farm registration. Fields considered are
farm registration number, date of registration/renewal date. Name and address
of farm, location, total land area, type of crop produced.
Terms
and Conditions
Farm
registration number
Date
of registration/renewal date
Name
and address of farm
Location
Total
land area
Type
of crop produced
Certificate
of registration of farm for export
A certificate for registration of farm for export is
issued by the authority. Details of the registered farmer include certificate
validity period, map layout enclosed, verified survey.
Packhouse
Layout
Departments
The departments are weighing and inspection area, holding
area, processing area, .others are packaging, stacking area, inspection,
pre-cooling or cold storage, loading area. More areas include hot water
treatment area and laboratory.
Processing
Areas
Docking
Weighing
Inspection
Holding
Processing
Packaging
Stacking
Inspection
Pre-cooling or cold storage
Loading area
Packhouse
flow
The flow chart starts with the harvesting of raw material
from the farm. Then the material arrives at the packhouse. Primary inspection
is carried out before weighing in pre-inspection area.
Raw material is then sent to a holding area in the
processing area the raw material is sorted and graded. Produce is then packaged
and final produce stacked in stacking area. The produce is then subjected to
inspection by plant quarantine authority.
Any produce that does not pass inspection is rejected and disposed. Once it has passed inspection it goes to pre cooling or cold storage if required. Final stage is the dispatch through the loading dock to wholesalers, retailers, stores.
