Division of Agricultural Sciences UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA SURVEY OF THE PACIFIC COAST FROZEN FRUIT AND VEGETABLE PROCESSING INDUSTRY Robert H. Reed j UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA DAVIS DEC i 2 1957 LIBRARY CALIFORNIA AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION GIANNINI FOUNDATION OF AGRICULTURAL ECONOMICS Mimeographed Report No. 198 September 1957 Table of Contents Page Foreword ill Acknowledgments iv Intraregional Trends in Frozen Fruit, Berry, and Vegetable Production . 1 Freezing Plants and Facilities in the Pacific Coast States 6 The Distribution of the Annual Frozen Fruit and Vegetable Pack Among Pacific Coast Plants 9 Style of Pack, Type of Label, and Methods of Sale 11 Movement to Market . . 12 Operating Seasons .... 18 Raw Product Procurement 21 Grower Services 22 Labor and Employment in the Pacific Coast States 2h Some Variations in Methods of Handling and Preparing Fruits and Vegetables for Freezing 26 The Receiving Operation 27 Preparation 30 The Packaging Operation 31 The Casing Operation 32 The Freezing Operation 33 Regional Research in Frozen Fruit and Vegetable Marketing . 35 List of Tables Table 1 Frozen Vegetable Pack, Washington and Oregon, 1939-195 1 *- .... 2 Frozen Deciduous Fruit Pack, Washington and Oregon, 1939-195 1 *- • • 2 2 Frozen Vegetable Pack, California, 1939-1955 3 Frozen Deciduous Fruit Pack, California, 1939-1955 3 • ■ -. ...... v .. .. • ■.:.>■■ ' ; '■ - \ ■ ■ . . . ... .. ... 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' ■ i . . «. . ... «.. art 4£t&7h£i£- sddcy^fV as^cxl-.tii jt&Tu&sasH' :S/&aQt»*%. , m >■ ■ • itfptfrtfcCf , jjflflfljtlT (mn tiiiiitf Igtil Jif ■IflT. ililiWiiJ 1 tUU/Il auotrftfosQ «as^ ' 1. * < : ?$a?4-£$£X . ^ai^fcliiW^tia* -»4cR6*d^V. &hi• •:.-.'> v.' ! --~ : r.i e'-.Mjiv-l s : .;vr:;s i.*t-\:r.- .v"* j *v i £ £ • - ?e^i-?^i ^s5£f*8 ioaoO cMiodl ,s?*Xd^^5i3V fca» #s»8tf to %.i t»i1tX9n£lO noUdObonH Xsto$ to -JosD T9tdvi»8 MvxS 5§6X si$* aJt bafiuXoal .-?^Xi/Arf^'3s'J JS'il'l jaeld^etegsfV £iuj »rfX«l$ ^sso'j'S Aic-jolLtXaO ? • r « C t tidh»c ■ I . . v . :•: „ ; . . . if. • ., ha ■ hi i * ■ i • .... .... " ■ • : : ■ ■■■■ -: V ■ : .. ■ sO ' ■ • ■ V ■ " ■ *1 • 3 : '• ■ ■ •' '• ' . ' ■ -■ ts SJ [fti ' ' *'- • • - ■ ■ • . ; I-. <: ■ id it SJtfioiiK > aie!£ , i5«i'I &/«^!&mhV Xwju to uayif&ocd in#£i ' • ■ ■ • • • ..... [ .•? . , • ;•• : j l Nlj l lfi l tHi W ivu. #£.W*iiV; to Cfff&/if Cstoa- vcii to »>to&sV on* ojim'S jjescrtt aitreoti/uG mam iii FOREWORD This is the first in a series of regional research reports on the competitive position of the western frozen fruit and vegetable industry being conducted under a regional research project by the Experiment Stations of the states of California, Oregon, Washington, and the Territory of Hawaii in cooperation with the Agricultural Marketing Service, U. S. Department of Agricul- ture. The work planned includes economic-engineering studies of plant organiza- tion and efficiency and studies of the relationships among demand, supplies, and prices of selected types and forms of deciduous fruits and vegetables. Sup- plemental work on transportation and terminal market charges and amounts of western frozen fruits and vegetables shipped to selected national markets is being done by the Agricultural Marketing Service, U. S. Department of Agricul- ture. As these phases of the project are developed, the results will be applied to an analysis of interregional competition in the deciduous fruit and vegetable freezing industry. It is anticipated that this series of reports will provide an improved basis for industry analysis of current trends in the supply, demand, and prices of frozen fruits and vegetables and indicate possible adjustments that will reduce costs and improve efficiency in the processing and marketing operations. »A* A*' tf*te&i &*"£66&9i UtttAwW •*§*!* * a* £#$£1 wl* II s*rf$ sxft 15 amiteiZ tLMit$<$& srfa x<* ftftCtt* tfetatfs* i*ae*a*J s lafiair t>&Soitbttoo til XiatejaB to y£t6it*wi *df bris < noJ-geJtf3aK' ^flo^asO t glBtOii£ai> to kaiBte -hs6i-t&k So f*A&ra~aisami&j}\*qp s^Hiiifa bds &ikltU$m% artf ai *;6aoJteJ*Js »vc*««ti baft two iv ACKNOWLEDGMENTS In the western region, work on this project is being coordinated by a Technical Committee for regional research project WM-17. Important contribu- tions to the assembly of materials for this report were made by the following: Washington Agricultural Experiment Stations: Luman E. Cairns Rodney A. Stucki A. H. Harrington Oregon Agricultural Experiment Station: George B. Davis Frank Dickmann Harvey M. Hutchings Donald Langmo California Agricultural Experiment Station: L. L. Sammet Agricultural Marketing Service, U. S. Department of Agriculture: Robert B. Reese The author is also indebted to processors in the Pacific Coast states for their wholehearted cooperation in providing information for the present report , Sole responsibility for the text of the report is assumed by the author. .-v.>.v^*;. xi*\i?~\i;, rstfcf "toft .xw4-J4>ncro?:«i Irfi?o-J5j *ci jtfdtejsrsqcoo • : -M**ij®jrf5rdfitw &i A SURVEY OF THE PACIFIC COAST FROZEN FRUIT AND VEGETABLE PROCESSING INDUSTRY By Robert H. Reedi^ The western region and particularly the coastal states comprise an impor- tant area in the production of fruits and vegetables for freezing. This area currently produces over 60 per cent of the total United States frozen pack of deciduous fruits and vegetables. It produces approximately 80 per cent of the total frozen pack of strawberries and bush berries, 60 per cent of the peaches, 40 per cent of the snap and wax beans, 65 per cent of the Lima beans, and 70 per cent of the green peas. It also produces almost the entire national pack of frozen Brussels sprouts and apricots and large percentages of the cauliflower, broccoli, carrot, and spinach packs. Intraregional Trends in Frozen Fruit, Berry, and Vegetable Production The dominant position held in this industry by the Pacific Coast states has been achieved through very rapid growth since 1939 • The trend in Wash- ington and Oregon output is clear in Table 1, which gives in fresh weight equivalents the annual output of vegetables, deciduous fruits, and berries in these states during the period 1939-195^ A similar trend is evident in the data for California given in Table 2. During 1953-5 1 * the fresh weight equiva- lent of the combined frozen vegetable production in Washington and Oregon averaged over 385,330 tons, while California produced an average of 252,^50 tons during the same period. In this period the Northwest produced an average of 7^,^00 tons of frozen deciduous fruits and berries, while California produced an average of 65,200 tons. Table 3 lists average annual growth rates for the major fruits, berries, and vegetables processed by freezing within the Pacific Coast states. These l/ Cooperative Agent of the Experiment Station, University of California and the~Agricultural Marketing Service, U. S. Department of Agriculture. *S/x«. -?i/E^p. .galja^jrjf '*ot ajsl'tfeifss 1 ?^ '6as» '&diiHT To aotd&$^' i ^t«T&v«-'i\.V*"fj!j-'»yfcc 1 i^ '^iaio'illBD ^JiaV atiod Off ?Sf isvo b-saR'itsva a^k»tsy* ,X»9i>J;&'Cnfr .#85w?rt?'iolt' *J0ii3q axdd al .Boi tsKf yass 9dd gni'atf& csod SteattBOog .^laia^ti'Kfi) -aJtaV ^s-siils-d aoa. a^rjUi^T 'aaoffSinafi aaioit To eao# 00* to t a^tf^d \ « .3 .1 1""") il,x|3T 'li j.OQ fil tii. sassiooi' ' hiifiui*' ' 'sif %£ aldaT-'ai f«9*BPi6'al aA • . .abldsafccttcg -9&J#ftqipit. jflBNttHft r3g9V JiB *io't is9% TS H tfflSO T9!j *IC CnOJ 000\0"S *i9V , J'"P3')iS'3 , 5VJ? <^S54 xlB9ia £8913* *»» 09W0X LOT rr»3V *»£&q ane* •O0C 1 C£- Itf "Kvaixt*. nil). u^m^ ^lj^aip^q% ^.A^. iXdoooi^'feoB ^f&fttti& J \Vns0W-#iiLfi •' I'rt i rtf jp^jjjft'pjpi " Tin ^iliPMi'ipf acw.'bafl. -a?;>^8. • *a**°9 da ai e>-i3it& s sit-^V.VM Je •' a9*>*f i* -taort » soi S£ : -JaAl ••VajOs { .Sck v $ ^I^asia'aT divcng «uiii9£:<&9qa lb' 'suirj'ni.«"'j!Wi' srf*P *\C^9X- i ^oai6 •*;Il2waii«:*afid-'s©d irryj sfi^ ni nolloiibc'sq isWBloS'XiMO-t*'!' -at- fcai - *3X-yry;.»oir..L9£v .vrc^ii J^uavs^ aixrrolitsu . 9 rfTiitiM; Sffoafis ^ WcF ^iilfetqB^t- fesvarG.^rfiit,?: pais e«rf ..fgew^J-'ioI: 5. TABLE 3 Average Annual Growth Rates in Freezing Selected Fruit and Vegetable, Pacific Coast States, 19U5-1955 Commodity Average annual growth rates California Northwest tons— per cent tons- per cent Asparagus 276 5 0 0 Beans, green and wax 717 18 1,67U u» Beans , Lima 6,505 12 988 27 Broccoli k,319 16 1,58^/ 20 Brussels sprouts 2,357 13 Carrots 1,120 23 Carrots and peas i,m 17 Cauliflower 2,1*19 s 730 9 Corn, cut 7,570 16 Corn, cob 681* 16 Peas, green 2,1*16 18 10,918 9 Spinach ii,532 19 117 2 Total vegetables 23,51*1 111 26,773 15 Strawberries 5,183 28 2,908 . 10 Bush berries 571 12 - 82i£ 7 - U Apples and sauce - 1,181 -11 - 1,066 -27 Apricots - 1,382 -25 0 0 Peaches - 385 - h - 708 -18 Plums and prunes - 996 h - 138 - 5 Total fruits and berries 1,806 h 172 0 a/ Fresh weight equivalent. b/ Dashes indicate no data available for each year, c/ Minus sign (-) represents annual average decline. Sources Computed from information contained in Tables 1 and 2, pp. 2-3. j-&&f*l'\ ill B£ m •* «■■.■'■ y.» ., ■ < < ■ ■ ■ • . ■-V - I ; • i ! j • ■ ■ - 6. The freezing of deciduous fruits has declined slightly in both California and the Northwest. During the years I9V7 and 19^8, there was a marked decline in frozen deciduous fruit production in each area, but there has been a slight recovery in recent years. Frozen peach production in California has increased slightly since 1952 while remaining fairly constant in the Northwest during this period. In summary it appears that frozen deciduous fruit production has leveled off and is declining slightly in both areas. On a tonnage basis, how- ever, the West Coast area remains the most important region of the United States in the production of frozen deciduous fruits. Freezing Plants and Facilities in the Pacific Coast States The spectacular growth in the volume of frozen fruits and vegetables has been accompanied by rapid expansion of processing and freezing facilities in specialized Pacific Coast producing areas. In California the total number of all types of freezer plants has risen from about 95 in 19^5 to about 170 in 1955 ^ Substantial though less pronounced growth occurred in Washington and Oregon. The 19^5 total of 50 plants in each state had grown by 1955 to over 60 in Oregon and 90 in Washington. In the total of 320 Pacific Coast plants, 2^0 different firms are rep- resented. Of this total 1^1 plants were actively engaged in freezing deciduous fruits and vegetables while there were ^5 freezing sea food, 17 meat and meat products, 26 poultry, 66 prepared food and specialty, and 1^ freezing citrus and citrus products l/ The relatively rapid rate of growth in California is partly attributable to a large increase in the number of plants packing prepared food items and spe- cialties. 2/ According to a 1955 survey of freezing plants conducted within the coastal states by the Agricultural Experiment Stations of California, Oregon, and Wash- ington and as listed in Quick Frozen Foods Directories of Frozen Food Processors , 19^5 and 1956, inclusive. .t : ' ,v ■'..•< ips eBcof 0c/Tj.j?,3. ,,^.io^Pj; jit £p& acj/sus .03, ^osj^u ^i.fJijs ^pq-MB^fffpg-j^s p»a iftt&fii-'i-^t I T*>'y£p. Wi j^GJTTfi.fiR re. ;-pa sap~* + >8^. TflJ&qs,fOP^ xe?TCO -^V 4fP©' A0?r*q tsH f *«P TSasx?'!. 0^t.«".'J ,*.e...3»5 £J0I17$. en^P*?*- T» : PO£p p^epa; jjn «i.-*j$!ras*#6; ps*8j£*-pc*- S.6GOACXA J0.fc6C6*7? ^XOS&U ..bqfffp, .fyQgQfiC'iOi} .78 C?fJ p.? £s;?JT .pSTii • JT-'OX«0C8g w. 5?^^ToS oi .^wrtoc jp rpo^-fi»y-rx«Vf As shown in Figure 1, the greatest concentration of plants in Washington is in the northwestern section of the state along the Puget Sound and in the Yakima Valley. Oregon has two principal areas of concentration--the Willamette Valley of western Oregon and the Pendleton area of northeastern Oregon. There are three important concentrations of freezer plants in California. The largest is in the Santa Clara, Pajaro, and Salinas valleys which lie imme- diately below the San Francisco Peninsula in the central coastal area. Next in importance is the area bounded on the north by Yuba City and on the south by Sanger in the Central Valley. The south coastal area from San Luis Obispo to Los Angeles is also important. Over 60 per cent of the firms situated in the Pacific Coast states are corporations; 33 per cent are individual proprietorships or partnerships; and about 6 per cent are cooperatives. The remaining 1 per cent of the firms are not classified because of insufficient information. The individual proprietor- ships and partnerships were predominant in the specialty and prepared food cate- gories while most of the cooperatives are berry freezers. Vegetable and deciduous fruit freezers were almost invariably corporations. Many of the fruit and vegetable plants freeze more than one product. In California, for example, 3^ of 51 fruit and vegetable freezers pack two or more products. In Oregon 3^ of the plants are multiple-product packers as are 2^ of the plants in Washington. The specialized one-product plants in Washington and California freeze mostly berries while in Oregon there is specialization in both berries and in the processing of green peas. The degree of product specializa- tion is influenced by the availability of raw product throughout a relatively long growing season. About 70 per cent of the Pacific Coast processors perform only the receiv- ing, preparation, and packaging operations and depend upon commercial cold- storage companies to perform the freezing and storage operations. These jo .ppc.. Tjues::TyS ©».;f". aisot**?© .ofceifir^oirs* XJ?©&© . ' - . ■ ■ ••' ■ ■■ \ FIGURE 1 Plant Locations of Fruit and Vegetable Freezers Pacific Coast States, 1955 1955 survey of plants by the Agricultural Experiment Stations of the University of California, Oregon State College, and Washington State College. Quick Frozen Foods Directory (New York City: 19^5-1955, inclusive). 9. plants have the freezing and initial storage done at a regular service charge. The remaining plants own all or part of their freezing and storage facilities. Net capacity of refrigerated warehouses, which are capable of holding temperatures at 0° Fahrenheit or lower, has increased 1+7 million cubic feet in the Pacific Coast area since 19^5 . According to interview information from a number of plant managers, there is still some shortage of cold storage in a few processing areas. This necessitates some movement of product during periods of peak production. The Distribution of the Annual Frozen Fruit and Vegetable Fack Among Pacific Coast Plants When the Pacific Coast plants are ranked in the order of their total annual volume in 195^--with the large-volume plants listed first--most of the output volume appears near the beginning of the listing. This reflects the fact that a large part of the frozen fruit and vegetable pack was produced by relatively few firms. If the ranked plant totals are expressed as percentages of the total Pacific Coast pack and these percentages cumulated, we obtain the curve in Figure 2 showing per cent of total 195k pack in relation to the number of plants. The curve indicates, for example, that 10 per cent of the plants (largest in terms of total annual output) accounted for nearly 30 per cent of the total production, and 25 per cent accounted for slightly over 65 per cent of the total output of the three coastal states. While Figure 2 shows the distribution of total 195 1 * Pacific Coast volume among different plants, it does not reflect precisely the distribution of this volume among different firms. Some of the firms contributing to the volume dis- tribution represented in Figure 2 operate several plants. If output of multiplant firms were consolidated, still greater concentration of annual volume would be indicated. The distribution of annual volume among plants represented in Figure 2 also falls short of providing aa index of plant size in the sense of capacity output *E$T$*fc -'tares '*tgpitt^f|plljMJi fe '•trrfl'T |WipMl •^AM^ifllfBB -si?ensij l ^ooo>iir>i^ C^dt linfiJlf.y'X CAPj.-pJ feet ceuf cj f p« ;o^S '^faeb'' ^H^Ufci '■*ftr£»wj $o?#t~b «fte -exfefcesreg va bex.i,t-.- ■•atfsa HNJ ■ »*i fr ..f f.B '9 • V ■•' ■ I torn 9-4Mp T.es£ 70 f pc 1 10. FIGURE 2 Per Cent of Combined Annual Output Represented by Various Percentages of the Total Number of California and Washington Frozen Fruit and Vegetable Plants, 195 1 * 25 50 75 100 Per cent of plants Source: 1955 survey of plants by the Agricultural Experiment Stations of the University of Cali- fornia and Washington State College. 11. rate since annual volume is affected by length of season as well as capacity rates. A ranking of plants by capacity rate, however, is extremely difficult since many of the plants produce several different products with varying capacity rates. For example, average capacity rates of plants processing Lima beans and green peas varied from slightly under 5>000 pounds to over 30/000 pounds per hour with a modal range between 8,000 to 9,000 pounds per hour of operation. Average capacity rates of plants processing hand-paced commodities such as Brussels sprouts or broccoli ranged from a low of 3*000 pounds to over 15,000 pounds per hour with a modal capacity rate between 5*000 and 6,000 pounds per hour of operation. However, the combined capacity rates for any given plant which processes several products simultaneously is not known and no attempt has been made to classify Pacific Coast freezing plants on the basis of size defined in terms of capacity rate. Instead, plants were ranked in the order of their total annual volumes as shown in Figure 2 and discussed above. Style of Pack, Type of Label, and Methods of Sale There are three styles of pack in the Pacific Coast freezing industry- retail, institutional, and bulk. The retail pack varies from 8 ounces to 1 pound according to the commodity or trade practice. The institutional pack varies from 2 to 10 pounds but normally is packaged in 2- or 2^-pound paper cartons. Bulk packages cover the range from 10 through 350 pounds. Sales to institutional and industrial users are the principal outlets for the bulk- frozen output. In some plants, however, certain types of products are bulk frozen and held for later repackaging. This practice may be followed because of limited capacity in the filling lines for smaller containers or as a means of maintaining flexibility as to the type of package for products held for future sale. 12. While the practice in labeling varies with different commodities, Table h indicates that shipments under the producers' own label av- eraged 6k per cent of the total 1955 Pacific Coast pack-out; shipments under the buyers* label averaged 33 per cent; and unlabeled volume amounted to only 3 per cent. Sale through brokers is the most important single method of selling in the Pacific Coast region. Over 70 per cent of the total frozen fruit and vegetable pack of this area was sold through brokers in 1955 • The broker sells according to the terms of the seller for a brokerage fee or commission. Direct selling is another important method of sales for this region. The firm with its own sales agency establishes outlets in different parts of a regional or national market and maintains space, as a rule, in "key" warehouses near large population centers. Products are moved to these warehouses and redistributed to customers as needed. Some packers make direct sales to national-brand freezers who, in turn, market the commodi- ties so obtained directly under their label or through brokers. Direct sales to wholesale distributors, industrial and institutional outlets, and chain stores are practiced by about 30 per cent of the packers in this region. The percentage of the total pack sold in this manner was not available from the survey data. Movement to Market The major portion of the Pacific Coast production of frozen fruits and vegetables moves to points in the North Atlantic, East North Central, 13. TABLE 1* Per Cent of Total Production Classified by Style of Pack and Type of Label of Frozen Fruit, Vegetable, and Berry Plants Included in the 1955 Field Survey- -Selected Commodities Style of pack Type of label and state F Retail, 1 pound and under Institutional, 2 through 9 pounds Bulk, 10 through 100 pounds Own label Buyer 1 s label Unlabeled^/ per cent California Strawberries 34 7 59 71 on U Peaches 15 38 47 49 0 Plums and prunes 0 0 100 _.b/ - - Bush berries 0 3 97 -- berries do 10 o4 Broccoli 1 76 24 0 57 42 1 Asparagus 34 66 0 55 45 0 zsrussej-S sprouxs DC ^ft j° n jy ^8 ■3° 3 Cauliflower 55 ^5 U ol •37 0 ( o m Snap beans 54 35 11 In 41 Rft i X opinacn oo 32 U fl 5ft i J. Green peas 30 50 20 58 32 10 Baby Lima beans 55 19 26 50 44 6 r or dnooK Lixma beans 68 25 7 53 46 1 All vegetables 61 30 9 Dregon 43 28 Strawberries 55 2 71 1 Green peas 71 13 16 30 61 9 Corn 33 4 63 77 23 0 Green beans 55 14 31 82 7 11 Washington Strawberries 59 2 39 91 9 s/ Green peas 66 7 27 85 12 3 Corn 58 2 40 87 8 V Asparagus 78 7 15 71 29 Average 48 21 31 64 33 3 a/ Bulk packages classified under "own label" category . b/ Dashes indicate no data available. c/ Less than 1 per cent. Sources: California: 1955 survey of freezing plants by the Agricultural Experiment Station; and Western Frozen Food Processors Association, Pack Statistic s (San Francisco: annual issue) . Oregon and Washington: 1955 survey of freezing plants by the Agricultural Experiment Station in those states. US. .v-ftftr: ST Ik. West Worth Central, Southeast, and West South Central regional markets.!/ Fig- ures for products originating in all coastal states are not yet available. However, preliminary data given in Table 5 shows the division of rail shipments from California to designated regions by month during 195^- Figure 3 sum- marizes the regional shipment data in the form of percentages of the total amount shipped. This diagram shows that the North Atlantic region is the most important market in terms of first unloads having received almost twice the amount of California frozen fruits and vegetables as the Southeast area which ranks second in receipts of these commodities. The East North Central and the West North Central regions accounted for 17-2 per cent and 10.8 per cent of California unloads, respectively, while the relatively less populated West Sout v . Central and Mountain regions were less important markets for California frozen fruits and vegetables accounting for only h.k per cent and 2.5 per cent, respec- tively. Important volumes moving into each of these regions go into intransit storage for later reshipment. Inspection of the monthly shipment data in Table 5 indicates that total shipments fluctuated relatively little during most of the year excepting the first quarter. Peak shipments occurred in February. This peak was compensated for, in part, by minimum shipments the following month, l/ States comprising these regions are as follows: North Atlantic : New England states, New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania. East North Central : Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, and Wisconsin. West North Central : Minnesota, Iowa, Missouri, North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, and Kansas. Southeast : Delaware, Kentucky, Maryland, District of Columbia, Virginia, West Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Tennessee, Alabama, and Mississippi. West South Central : Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, and Texas. Mountain : Montana, Idaho, Wyoming, Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona, Utah, and Nevada . Pacific : California, Oregon, and Washington. E^ c f " Pl'-^-PT 1 Cabpi-a j : ^ OPTO* injJTSW^. txjxjjoTe? '^<^tt&o»» s»g- ftfsc.ouarD' g^rrpGc ccj"J>fcT5?TD" rpsae isBjona |rxn ae ^oryoAs: : :Vsai axcabprrne tp$ vtiBf Arertf6» , i - h aaK epT£nj6u.p«r. occrm.*eg. p? j^pi/icriV ' £pro jvsqjG&fGa fpaf pofQj spjbwsptG tfsjcctxtfGq }.§x&£?agj7< fxepfe gjjj.yeS' Boap or «pe ' ?roia8© rox japax t*epj3&tJpo^ * ypebaapTcu.-cr, ppa juouepyA 'apTfcJoenp g»pe tit fevp? '^TaA'A* jmboweai Aornare? jk>a|d€ 7B$b escp o^, ^paca *atyo$ra "fio Tnpo jriptaoeTr ivrtez aug Aege H "8pxs3 accoijiTpTpS opyk .bet- ceor sag' fax ■cetijp* webs 'c*tt*oxcts nnyoege* xc j6Ciry/v6]"X* msjja .cpc -xayapyAST?- ?e«a • bcbnya^ag wear pon >'\G9p E^xpp GCixpxay xattTous acco/nxp^g x.oj. ■TA'S'.^ 65 - ' S6tjjr axtq TO '9 csixc 0£ xairjra aGCcxrg T£ xscsyLpa ofc ppaae comcogTjpi^3- .ip<3 Tjasp jjotpp'cSBfxay Vps f«5?omTj 01. cayy^oxBT 0 " '(.xossr; x,wjyp3 srcg AGC.fe^srpjsa. aa, ppa POffppeaap' axea Aprc ,T roj50X.fSnjp liia'-^ifi'.p tu' ^gisod 0?, ^Tj.sf nsjoa'gc paAyuS; t i.&cs^AGa.' ^f*^s!oi2^ , .pAyce jrps gujiioBf etrxbbsg' ,i,pts gye-fcuun «poAB fps^:. .»ps /'KOX.-pp vfjffV{:-jc"-r.e^ov rs '^ps MOff r . . . * " • aifirx-xsaa rps ts8j"orjay epT£itrarTp gGf-sr. yc ^p« xosjJJ.ot bsxc'eajrVSsa 01, fpa popaj c^TTToxitt^ fO gssTaJua^ag i.a8xcaB pA^w&B^i'.-.grfixsiS T^r*'* 5,T9yrxe 2 "iniu- "H-vieA6X.» bW/jTXTwnA ga;a 8tac», TP ^ epo^a- fps gar'ATeicc- of' tarf apTbureu^! rrr.ee xci btogncps oiyiixaapj^g Tn eyx cocre^trj s^^pae axe Wkvkyehi^ • TABLE 5 California Frozen Fruits and Vegetables: First Destination?/ of Sample of Outbound Pail Shipments by Region and Month, 195^' negion Jan- uary ( Febru- March April May June July An- Au- gust ber i ber ber ber Total million pounds Worth Atlantic 0 -' 5.5 12.1 4.5 6.2 7-4 9-5 8.9 7.4 7-2 7-5 6.5 o.3 East Worth Central 2.9 5-5 1.9 2.8 3-4 U.3 5-1 4.6 3.3 2.k 2.7 2.6 41.5 West Worth Central 1.1 6.0 .5 1.6 1.5 1.7 2.3 1.9 2.9 2.9 2.0 1.6 26.0 Southeast^/ 3-7 4.3 2.4 2.8 2.7 4.4 3.6 5.0 3.9 5.1 k.2 3.7 45-8 West South Central .7 1.1 .5 1.3 .6 1.0 •9 •7 1.8 • 7 .7 .6 10.6 Mountain • 3 •9 .6 .6 • 5 • 5 .1 .k .9 .7 .3 .3 6.1 Pacific^ 1.6 2.4 •9 1-7 1.9 1.2 1.1 l.l 1.4 2.2 2.5 3.3 21*3 Total United States 15.8 32.3 11.3 17.0 18.0 22.6 22.0 21.1 21.4 21.5 18.9 18.4 240,3 Canada .2 .3 .1 .1 -1/ .1 .1 .2 .2 1.3 Grand total 16.0 32.6 17.1 18.0 22.7 22.1 21.3 21.4 21.5 19-1 18.4 241.-6 a/ Includes shipments into intransit storage, b/ Preliminary data. c/ New England and Middle Atlantic regions. d/ South Atlantic and East South Central resions. e/ Excludes California intrastate movements. f/ Dashes indicate no shipments observed. Source: 1955 survey of rail carriers by the Agricultural Experiment Station of the University of California and the U. S. Agricultural Marketing Service. r E FIGURE 3 California Frozen Fruits and Vegetables: First Destination of Sample of Outbound Rail Shipments by Region. Expressed as Percentage of Total Shipments, 1954 Source: U. S. Agricultural Marketing Service. 17 suggesting that the influence of this heavy shipment in February was proba- bly dissipated during the next four to six weeks. It is probable that the shipment rate would be influenced both by sea- sonal processing and consumption patterns. Results from another Agricultural Marketing Service studyi/ show that the consumption of frozen fruits and vege- tables tends to be relatively stable throughout the year with reductions of levels of consumption occurring during the period when the fresh product is available in the markets. The seasonal out-of-state shipment pattern in rela- tion to consumption rates suggests that direct movement into consumption rep- resents an important segment of total shipments. However, the fact that late spring and summer shipments are slightly above the annual average indicates that shipments into storage at intermediate transit or terminal market points may be greatest during these months --a period paralleling the processing season. From these figures it would appear that processing schedules play an important, though secondary, role in determining the seasonal shipment pattern. The entries in Table 5 show that during 195*+ there was a reasonably steady use of freezer cars in California. The refrigerator car lines, except for the February-March aberration, were not subject to violent fluctuations in use of equipment for shipments of frozen fruits and vegetables. The survey of major trucking companies indicates that comparatively little long-haul volume is handled by trucks. Preliminary calculations show that truck companies operating under Interstate Commerce Commission (ICC) franchise probably accounted for less than 5 per cent of the California volume of frozen fruits and vegetables entering interstate commerce from the Pacific Coast area. The l/ Bitting, H. W., Purchases of Frozen and Canned Foods by Urban Families as Related to Home Refrigeration Facilities (Washington; Govt. Print. Off., February, 195*0, l4p. (U. S. Agricultural Marketing Service, Marketing Research Report No. 60.) 1 1 3 G ^*30"^€T J — 18. survey shows, however, that truck companies have been relatively quick to adapt to the needs of the frozen food industry for short hauls (600 to 1,000 miles) . Operating Seasons The seasonal distribution of plant operations varies with location and type of product. Figure k shows typical operating seasons for selected commodities processed by freezing in the Pacific Coast states. An examina- tion of Figure h shows that the pack tends to be concentrated in the late summer and fall months. California has a decidedly longer season than Oregon and Washington for processing spinach, cauliflower, broccoli, strawberries, peaches, and apricots while the latter have slightly longer operating seasons for green peas and snap beans. The length of season for bush berries and Ford- hook Lima beans is about the same in the three states. Some products are available for processing in nearly every month of the year. For example, spinach is processed in both spring and fall months in the three states while several fruits, berries, and vegetables are processed during the summer and fall months. As a general rule, processing during December, January, February, March, and April is relatively light compared with the remaining months. Table 6 summarizes survey information on operating seasons, days, and hours operated for Pacific Coast freezers. On the average, California has about a 20-day longer operating season per commodity packed than either Washington or Oregon. In 1955 California plants operated an average of U68 hours per commodity packed while Washington plants operated an average of 3^0 hours. Hours operated in Oregon plants were not obtained, but a comparison of season calendar dates and some interview information indicates that hours operated in that state were probably close to those in Washington. io cSwoh viairs V'^san a/ .MJlaaajxrjM' aol »Iuj3I.j..:.vj3 » -&&te9£i>ol .no'irscit'Vic'i -wsiv-jautfi aac 19. FIGURE 1* Typical Starting and Ending Dates for Packing Selected Frozen Fruits, Berries, and Vegetables, Pacific Coast States Legend: Oregon Washington California Bush berries Apricots Peaches Strawberries Spinach Snap beans Baby Lima beans Fordhook Lima beans Caul iflower Brussels sprouts Broccoli Asparagus Green peas i r "I i I I I 1 1 1 r J I L J I I L J L x> a o u u CO U (U -O s a cu to u v X> o +> a o CD X> a cu > o 25 U o I o TABLE 6 Operating Seasons, Days Operated, and Hours Operated for Major Commodities in a Sample of Freezing Plants, California, Oregon, and Washington, 1955 Product and state Season calendar dates Earliest start Latest ending Average start Average ending Days operated per plant Maximum number Least number Average number Hours operated per plant Maximum Least i, Average California plants Strawberries Peaches Fordhook Lima beans Baby Lima beans Green peas Spinach Spring Fall Cauliflower Snap beans Broccoli Spring Fall Asparagus Brussels sprouts Oregon plants Peas Green beans Corn Strawberries Washington Peas Corn Asparagus Strawberries 4/1 7/15 8/1 8/2 3/25 l/ll 9/21 6/23 1/2 10/25 8/25 6/8 7/15 9/10 5/26 e J, Q 8/2 4/19 6/1 11/31 9/25 11/13 ll/l 6/7 6/3 l/l — > All 10/9 6/30 12/29 6/23 1/27 8/12 9/25 11/3 8 A 9/8 11/10 7/3 9/8 H 1 8/1 8/15 8/15 4/25 3/20 10/15 year * — 7/1 2/15 11/20 4/10 9/10 6/12 7/2- 6/5 7/5 9/2 4/29 6/19 10/15 9/5 10/20 10/20 5/30 4/251 12/25" 8/25 3/25] 12/15J 6/20 12/25 7/28 9/13 10/31 7/17 8/11 10/22 6/20 7/26 175 40 60 53 39 127 142 60 139 57 120 48 50 33 60 +8 6 47 21 21 16 5 15 4 13 55 12 33 33 14 14 2 18 17 120 31 41 31 21 45 58 40 83 P 63 40 42 ? 3 41 ft 44 31 2,890 408 786 372 238 664 680 690 962 749 1,070 8?5 1,050 869 384 107 71 302 89 64 72 32 208 24l 729 83 a/ 42 178 156 46 995 260 469 258 157 369 349 532 570 739 491 a/ 437 433 362 213 a/ Blanks indicate that hours operated per season were not obtained in Oregon survey. O 21. Both Figure 3 and Table 6 indicate some of the possibilities for increas- ing the length of the operating season by diversification with respect to commodities packed. A California plant could increase its operating season from about 525 hours to over 2,000 hours per year by packing four commodities (say asparagus, snap beans, Lima beans, and broccoli) . Similarly, a plant situated in Washington could increase its operating season from around 380 hours to nearly 1,500 hours by packing peas, strawberries, corn, and asparagus. Many plants in these states are presently packing several commodities and are operat- ing on virtually a year-around basis. The product mixes listed are for illus- trative purpo?3S3 only and are not necessarily intended to indicate an efficient arrangement with respect to plant and sales organization. Raw Product Procurement Interviews with plant managers indicate that raw product used in the freez- ing operation is normally obtained from contracted or process or- owned acreage. Small amounts may be purchased on the open market during the processing season. Except for small amounts obtained from processor-owned acreage and on the open market, all vegetables processed by freezing in the Pacific Coast states were contracted for, on an acreage basis, prior to the processing season in 1955- All deciduous fruits were contracted on a tonnage basis except for slightly less than 2 per cent which was obtained from processor-owned acreage. Strawberry procurement practices were quite different from those for vegetables and deciduous fruits primarily because substantial amounts of straw- berry acreage is processor owned. Of the tonnage processed by the 31 strawberry freezing plants included in the California survey, 37 per cent was obtained from contracted acreage as compared to 56 per cent from processor-owned acreage. Slightly over 7 per cent of the tonnage was purchased on the open market. This pattern of procurement contrasts sharply with practices in Washington and Oregon. Plants in the Washington survey, for example, contracted for approximately 63 per cent of the tonnage used in their 1955 frozen strawberry pack while 12 22. per cent was obtained from processor-owned acreage and approximately 25 per cent was bought on the open market. Plants surveyed in Oregon contracted 88 per cent and obtained 12 per cent of the tonnage from acreage owned by the processor. Freezers surveyed in Oregon purchased few strawberries on the open market in 1955. Interview information from plant managers indicates that some of the contracted acreage is controlled through grower financing by processors. Informa- tion as to how much is so controlled was not obtained. Grower Services Efforts to control quality, coordinate field and processing operations, and assure raw product supplies are the basis for numerous services furnished growers by processors. Information from processors in California and Washington on four categories of such services is summarized in Table 7- Table 7 shows that a high percentage of California and Washington processors furnish technical advice to growers. Likewise, many processors specify or furnish seeds for several of the commodities procured for freezing. The speci- fication or provision of fertilizers was not a common California practice in 195!* such services being furnished only to some strawberry and spinach growers. Washington processors, on the other hand, furnished these services for all of the four commodities for which information was obtained. Further inspection of Table 7 reveals that Washington processors finance a substantial portion of all four major crops listed. Among the plants included in the California survey, grower financing by processors is most prevalent with strawberry and snap bean producers while cauliflower, green pea, Lima bean, and broccoli growers are processor financed to a lesser extent. In addition to the services listed in Table J, certain crops usually are harvested by the processor. This is true with Lima beans, green peas, and spinach because these crops require close supervision with respect to quality rot' ■f •'•>) _fy b • lit 1 13. Empty crates are received from a central crate supply and lined with waxed paper by crate liners . Crates are supplied along the packing line by overhead gravity conveyors. Block ice is received by the ice crusher from a central ice-making plant ana crushed mechanically. Crushed ice is supplied along the packing line by a screw- type conveyor. The entire operation is supervised by a shed foreman . Uith large crews another supervisor, the packer boss , assists the shed foreman, Factors Affecting Rate of Output and Costs Most packing house managers limit the rate of output to 30 crates per packer hour as a quality control measure. Up to this limit several other fac- tors have an effect on the rate of output that can be attained. For a given crew, perhaps the most important other factors affecting the rate of output per packer hour are the size distribution of heads and tl.j general "quality" and condition of the lettuce being packed. The effect of these factors on out- put rates was not measured. Daily records taken from a sample of 7 firms for a period of h selected weeks indicate a variation in output rates of from 20 to over 35 crates per packer hour and a packout of about 6 to lij. crates per standardized basket of lettuce. The average rate of output per packer hour was 28,8 crates and the average packout per standardized basket was about 8.8 crates. The relation- ship between the rate of output and the packout per basket is shown in Figure 6, where each point represents a day's operation. As crates packed per basket in- crease from 6 to 8 crates per basket, there seems to be an increase in the rate of output per packer hour. When a packout of 8 crates per basket is reached, however, the rate of output per packer hour seems to level off. This is par- tially due to the restriction on the rate of output in the packing houses which are included in the analysis .i/ Another reason for the lack of a clear rela- tionship between the packout per basket and the rate of output is that lettuce requiring much trimming to make it acceptable reduces the rate of flow from the 1/ A limited amount of data were available from packing operations in which no limit on output x*as imposed. These data indicated average output rates of 30 to h$ crates per packer hour. 5 6 7 8 9 10 II 12 13 14 15 Packout per standardized basket, crates Figure 6. Relation Between Packout Per Basket and Rate of Output Per Packer Hour in a Sample of Lettuce Packing Houses, Salinas District, California, 1953-5U. 4=- 23. V TABLE 7 Percentage of Processors Performing Specified Grower Services, California and Washington, 1955 Product and state Grower service Technical advice California Strawberries 93 Spinach 100 Cauliflower 91 Snap beans 100 Broccoli 100 Asparagus 100 Brussels sprouts 100 Fordhook Lima beans 100 Peas 100 Baby Lima beans 100 Washington Strawberries Corn Asparagus Peas 1*3 88 87 93 Furnish or specify plants or seed Furnish or specify fertilizer per cent 62 6k o 80 0 0 0 k2 70 k2 ko 77 75 86 56 Ik 0 o o 0 0 0 0 0 *3 77 87 86 Source: 1955 plant survey by the Agricultural Experiment Stations of the University of California, Washington State College, and Oregon State College. Data on grower services furnished by processor were not ob- tained in Oregon survey. 2k as affected by maturity and rapidity of handling. An additional advantage is the opportunity for better integration of field and plant operations. Labor and Employment in the Pacific Coast States An estimated peak employment of 12,000 workers per season was required for in-plant processing of frozen fruits and vegetables in the Pacific Coast states in 1955. 3s» As indicated in Table 8, over half the plants surveyed employed 50 or fewer workers; roughly one third of the plants were in the range of 70 to 100 direct labor employees; approximately one tenth were in the range of 100 to 500; and only 1 per cent of the plants employed more than 500 direct labor employees. The smaller plants- -those with fewer than 50 direct labor employees- -are predominantly engaged in freezing berries; plants in the medium range—with 70 to 100 direct labor employees- -are mostly single-product fruit, berry, and smaller vegetable plants while those in the higher ranges are nearly all multiple-product plants. Most of the labor is of a seasonal character but the possibility of extend- ing the length of season by introduction of varieties with varying dates of maturity, in addition to the practice of processing more than one product, is being exploited by processors in each of the states involved. The increase in length of processing season by this means enhances the desirability of employ- ment with this industry and increases the possibility of maintaining an adequate and permanent labor force with the likelihood of increased labor efficiency and lower labor costs per unit of output. l/ Direct labor only; administrative, selling, maintenance, and field per- sonnel excluded. Paced on a 19.S5 survey of plants by the Agricultural Experi- ment Stations of California, Oregon, aud Washington. V a *6 ei 4 c siiii 'x'ocr'" litf z'co TABLE 8 Estimated Volume of Employment by Fruit and Vegetable Freezing Plants at Capacity Operation, Pacific Coast States, 1955 Number of workers per plant§7 Percentage of total plants 0-20 13 21-50 39 51-70 16 71-100 20 101-200 7 201-500 k 501-800 1 a/ Includes only direct labor classification. Management and administrative personnel excluded. . I 26 Some Variations in Methods of Handling and Preparing Fruits and Vegetables for Freezingi' A rapidly rising trend of mechanization in the freezing industry is gen- erally well recognized. Some of this has grown out of developments in the canning industry such as the use of automatic machines for pitting, coring, peeling, trimming, and stemming. Increased use of continuous conveyor systems, such as belt, mesh, roller, pipe, flume, and other types of conveyor is a trend common to all frozen food processors. Automatic fillers, seamers, blanchers, sorting and grading equipment, choppers, and cutters have been adapted for use in the freezing industry. Other developments are the use of modern methods of materials handling such as automatic dumping of raw products, mechanical lift trucks for receiving and in-plant transportation of supplies, introduction of the "unit load system" in warehousing and distribution, powered hand trucks, and pallet handling. There have also been significant changes in types of equipment peculiar to freezing plant operations. An automatic continuous packaging machine which feeds, opens, fills, and closes nearly 300 retail- or small institutional- sized cartons a minute has been developed by equipment manufacturers. High-speed automatic wrapping machines are used to keep pace with modern filling equipment. Automatic continuous and multiplate freezers are used extensively in the Pacific Coast freezing industry. Processors are now testing and using automatic casing equip- ment, and several plants have recently installed this equipment as a part of their regular casing operation. A new processing technique-dehydrofreezing-has recently been developed by the United States Department of Agriculture. With this technique a food is 1/ This section is based on the information obtained from a 1955 survey of Pacific Coast plants by the University of California, Oregon State College, and the State College of Washington. 27. partially dried then frozen. Major advantages of this method are reductions in both weight and volume with corresponding reductions in freight, storage, and container costs. Another significant development is the introduction of new varieties of fruits and vegetables with varying dates of maturity which are better suited for freezing .2/ The rapid development of new techniques in the freezing industry is reflected in the wide variety found in methods and equipment used in different plants although some of these differences are, of course, due to variations in length of season, type and number of products handled, size of plant, and other factors. The more important variations in relation to type of product and in technology and the frequency with which use of the various methods was observed in a survey of a large number of Pacific Coast freezing plants are summarized in Table 9- The Receiving Operation There are two principal methods of receiving- -in bulk and by palletized lug boxes. Containers used for bulk-handling operations are bins (approximately k feet by k feet by k feet), baskets (7 feet by k feet by k feet), trailers, tanks, and dump trucks. Bulk receiving is used for products that can withstand such handling without bruising or shattering. Table 9 indicates that all products with the exception 1/ Kaufman, V. F., and M. J. Powers, "How Dehydrofreezing Cuts Packaging, Shipping Costs on Processed Fruits," Food Engineering Magazine (New York: January, 1957) , unpaged. (U. S. Department of Agriculture, Albany, California, Western Utilization Research Branch.) 2/ Diehl, H. C, E. H. Wiegand, and J. A. Berry, Preservation of Fruits and Vege tables by Freezing in the Pacific Northwest (Washington: Govt. Print. Off., 1939), 5^p. Processed. Joslyn, M. A., and L. A. Hohl, The Commercial Freezing of Fruit Products (Berkeley: 19^1) , 108p. (California Agricultural Experiment Station Bui. 703.) TABLE 9 28. Methods of Performing Specified Operations in Pacific Coast Freezing Plants, 1955 Berries Operation and methods Lima beans and peas Corn Asparagus Broccoli Brussels sprouts Cauli- flower Spinach Snap beans Peaches Cali- fornia North- west Number of Plants in survey packing product UO 10 10 2k 2k 23 18 12 9 3 k Receiving: Unloading (1) Lift truck (2) Hand truck (3) Dump or tip (k) Flume from viner (5) Roll bins 25 8 2 2 3 10 k 6 20 k 24 lk 9 18 12 9 27 k k 30 Container \i) Crates (2) Tanks (3) Bins or totes (k) Baskets ( 5) Trailer or dump truck (6) Combination of (1), (3), and (k) (7) Locse nets (8) Fump from viner 17 2 16 3 2 10 10 15 3 5 3 1 A xo 2 2 2 I 2 2 k 8 2 2 lk aS 10 o 7 31 V* Dumping (1) Manual (2) Mechanical (3) Pump from viner \ ** ) Lomoina^ion oi \±t and (2) 19 19 2 10 10 15 6 3 18 k 2 7 8 6 18 2 10 2 7 30 1 3* Preparation: Cut to length (1) Manual (2) Mechanical aid 10 10 8 16 2k 23 12 Pit Cl) Manual 12) Mechanical 5 k Blanch ( 1) Steam ( 7>) Hot v*t+-r (3) Pipe 6 3 k 6 8 2 21* 2k 23 __a/ 12 Packaging: Form and close cartons (1) Manual (2) Mechanical 2 38 10 1 9 3 21 3 21 3 20 6 12 2 10 Filling?' (retail) (1) Manual (2) Machine ko 10 cob 10 cut 2C, 10S 8C 2kS 2kc 20 k 23 18L 18c 3 9 5 k 31 — Bulk filling (1) Manual (hopper and gate) (2) Machine (3) Combination of (1) and (2) 3 17 20 - 9 31 3* Casing: Casing in (1) Manual (2) Automatic 3* 6 9 1 10 19 5 19 5 19 k lk k 10 2 8 1 28 3 3* Case sealing (1) Automatic gluer and compressor (2) Manual 25 15 3 7 8 2 15 9 15 9 lk 9 lk k 10 2 k 5 15 16 Freezing: Tray tunnel Belt tunnel Column freeze Room freeze Cabinet !l) Manual loading and unloading (2) Automatic loading and unloading Other (plants having two or more methods) 29 13 2 2 6 3 15 7 5 1 1 3 9 1 13 6 5 13 6 5 12 6 5 9 6 3 6 3 3 k 2 3 7 16 5 3 a/ Dashes indicate no information available from survey data. b/ "S" denotes spears; "C" denotes chopped; and "L" denotes leaf. Source: 1955 survey of plants by the Agricultural Experiment Stations of the University of California, Oregon State College, and Washington State College. 29. of asparagus and fruits are being received in bulk containers by some of the plants. Lug boxes or crates are still the most popular containers used in receiving asparagus, broccoli, and Brussels sprouts and are the only containers used for receiving peaches and berries. Crates or lug boxes are not commonly used for receiving Lima beans or green, pea§ Jn California %s only | of the 20 plants visited used this method. Use of prates or lug boxes for receiving Lima beans and green peas is much more prevalent in the Northwest. This method was used in 17 of the 22 plants surveyed in that area. Excluding strawberries, only 9 per cent of the plants packing the items specified in Table 9 use hand trucks for the unloading operation at the receiv- ing station. Hand truck plants are usually smaller, volumewise, and are found mostly among berry processors located in the Northwest. Although Lima beans and peas are readily adaptable to bulk-handling methods, hand trucks are still employed for unloading these products at the receiving stations in one fifth of the plants surveyed. Larger operators almost invariably use mechanical means for the unloading operation and most of these plants also use mechanical methods, such as lift trucks or powered hand trucks, for in-plant transportation of prod- uct and supplies. Automatic dumping equipment is normally used for dumping products from bins and tanks while trailers are mechanically tip dumped or hand forked. Slightly under 50 per cent of the plants surveyed dump Lima beans and green peas by rnammi methois while an equal percentage use mechanical means. In two of the pea plants observed, the product was pumped or flumed directly from the viner to the plant. Fragile commodities such as asparagus, broccoli, and Brussels sprouts are dumped manually in about 75 per cent of the plants observed, but methods for bulk handling and mechanical dumping techniques have been developed by approximately 25 per cent of the plants handling these commodities. Strawberries are manually dumped in all but one of the plants surveyed. A recent study by the University of California shows that substantial ■>l. t>^^;: *vvsi *$fj ••• t\. - • ••:af.»j Xrvi.uui'.- - v'io- Li: nil if tar ■: * <-.::]j >■•. 'I.'/ "i \-m 'act lS 83,'3aid teli % ....... fv-i 3 r>t Uj.J. «t>$? ft »<'<£!\: »v i.-j; 30. savings may be effected by using mechanical clumping methods for strawberries with no ill effects on quality provided the scale of operation and length of season for a given plant is sufficient to make efficient use of the installa- tion.!/ Preparation Methods of preparation vary according tq the requirements of the product, degree of mechanization, plant organization, rate of output, plant layout, management, and many other variables. As a general rule, vegetables may be classified into either hand-paced or free-flowing items. Lima beans, green peas, and corn are examples of free- flowing items while broccoli, asparagus, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, and spinach are important commodities in the hand-paced classification. The processing of free-flowing commodities involves almost entirely machine operations. For example, Lima beans and green peas are normally moved by pumps and flumes through froth cleaners, quality separators, pneumatic cleaners, and blanchers to an automatic filler. Free-flowing items are blanched by steam or hot water. Of the 50 Lima bean, green pea, and corn freezers surveyed, blanch- ing by steam was observed in 10 of the plants, and hot water in hO plants, 3 of which were pipe blanchers. Except for variations in amounts of equipment used for the various categories of preparation, there is little difference in process- ing methods for these commodities. In the plants surveyed, the lines were of high capacity ranging from 4,000 to 12,000 pounds per hour of operation. Relative to other products, the amount of preparation labor required for free- flowing commodities is small. Hand-paced commodities require a large labor force in most stages of preparation. Table 9 shows that mechanical devices for removing the stem 1/ Dennis, C. C, and R. H. Reed, "Processing Frozen Strawberries," California Agriculture , vol. 11, no. 5, May , 1951, P« 2. ;o .!v-, i ,ji i a-r.a.: •• sittp.'} -.v.* bsMVorwj ^?iX#uj; ra^Tls .'. XI i"S i: T.tv r-.i • ■. ;;J. 'Mi- lo rvfiw -.fti&il'tfl ftrfaa JusfcuiViiJa ei. Jttr,iii : - ••• <• :>-i- •"•.:•**] >'i/V ,t ."•*?•'-? d :VJfijw:.-fi.'" '..:« *. . >v-:l*'u;.'iy ■ • ■ v.- •* • .at.'-' 7?/ rW - ' a- «»•*»* Jni;*»r** 10"; * . "v jrfsci. • ; fi .aolJa-raqo lo tuod taq sBacog 000. £1 ctf mo-i^ sxtBftB-i v^iosciao riaiff ■ y: : tl *i» • •• ni ul .o^I.;J i omno '• • -c.i . . . - -soil -so'i fcattifpai -loctei. ooi^aisqa-xq Jo. .tfLyoiEs ad* .s^ouborii aenJo d* svlJalafl • • *ii * "« 'w; ' • ..'[ CTOt • .'-I .: ■ ^jflaR r iTli»«^W9 !. -ti ■ •• . •••.li.jj-r'. t , t {.•■«•«■" 7:« Jm: . a; r*t-r' ,v:)-'i: "•i'orfj.-. ( >t avl. »/-,,*. .'.ri. t!!v^? »» < ':/ } : '"dJ" 'l'>J :.;-i>J" Lwripora J^iiJ V oitUl' -S'lVj 31. end of Brussels sprouts and for shattering heads of cauliflower into individual curds are employed in all the plants observed. Mechanical cutters are used in all plants handling asparagus and in one half of those handling broccoli. In the remaining one half of the plants, broccoli spears were manually cut to the proper length for packaging. Quality sorting of all commodities, with the possible exception of the free-flowing category, is an operation that normally has high labor requirements. The product passes over an inspection belt where women pick out defective pieces and foreign matter. Inspection may occur not only at the main inspection belts but also at various locations along the preparation and filling lines. Most of the quality sorting required for free-flowing commodities is accomplished mechanically. For peaches and apricots, a cup- turn shaker turns the product over so both sides can be inspected with minimum effort on the part of the sorters. Mechanical pitters, originally developed for use in canneries, are becoming widely used in plants freezing deciduous fruits. However, peaches are still pitted by hand in five of the nine plants included in the survey. Adding sugar or syrup by hand is a practice that has largely disappeared but is still used by many processors for their bulk berry and fruit packs. Sugar or syrup is added by volumetric control to the retail and institutional styles of pack. The Packaging Operation The packaging operation may be divided into five stages: form carton, fill, weigh, close carton, and wrap. Cartons are formed, filled, and closed either manually or by machine. Of the 1^1 plants surveyed, 121 use mechanical means for forming and closing cartons. For hand- filled commodities-- such as asparagus spears, broccoli spears, leaf spinach, and cauliflower- -packers (l) form cartons, (2) fill, and (3) set the packed carton on conveyor leading to check-weigh line. The product is i -»*fic< "Xviq nesnov g'Xdfiw vt{3tj . f • ' , ... as j * j * t f ■ us •fc-TT'Jr 32. size graded and sorted for quality by the packer and placed in retail or institu- tional cartons according to the production plan of the plant and quality of prod- uct. Excess or poorer quality asparagus, broccoli, and spinach remains on the packing belt and continues to a chopper. The use of machine-formed cartons eliminates hand labor for step (l) in the packing operation, For machine- filled commodities such as Lima beans, green peas, corn, snap beans, and chopped vegetables, the filler is mechanically supplied with cartons from an automatic carton- forming machine. Cartons which are manually formed are supplied by a carton supply crew from temporary storage adjacent to the filler. As shown in Table 9, only two plants processing free-flowing items performed the carton opening and closing operation by manual means— the other 48 plants packing these commodities used mechanical means for this operation. The weighing and closing operation varies with the method of filling and type of container. For hand-filled items, in manually formed containers, each package is removed from the packing line conveyor, weighed, and product is added or removed to make proper weight. The carton is usually closed manually and returned to the appropriate conveyor for transfer to a wrapping machine. For commodities which are hand-filled in mechanically formed cartons, the procedure is identical except that the open carton is returned to a conveyor to pass through an automatic closing machine. Packages which are machine filled in mechanically formed cartons are normally weighed on a sample basis. Fiber and tin cans used for fruits and berries are closed automatically by mechanical seamers. Capacity rates of mechanical seamers are lower, as a rule, than high-speed automatic fillers. Interchanges have been developed so as to enable one filler to feed two or more seamers. The Casing Operation There are usually at least four different operations in the casing opera- tion. These are: (l) supply empty cases, (2) fill cases, (3) seal cases, and {k) transport filled cases to storage. Several methods of performing these 33. operations were observed ranging from completely manual to almost wholly au- tomatic. Of the plants observed, 85 per cent perform the case- in operation manually while less than kO per cent use manual methods for the case-sealing operation. The Freezing Operation There are two systems commonly used for freezing fruits and vegetables in the Pacific Coast states- -the air blast and the double contact-plate freezer or cabinet system. Each system may be partially or fully automatic. Air-Blast System . --With this system the product is exposed to a high velocity air blast at a temperature between -20° and -k0° Fahrenheit. Four common methods were observed which employ the air-blast system- -column, belt tunnel, tray tunnel, and room freeze. These methods are currently most common although quite a number of plants are using the cabinet system. (1) Th e Column Freeze . --The column freeze consists of a rectangular shaped column through which pass a series of solid metal trays placed one over the other. The trays are conveyed through the column by hydraulic lift and are subjected to an air blast. The trays for this method hold approximately 80 pounds of loose product. They are mechanically filled immediately prior to enter- ing the column and ride on a power conveyor to the hydraulic lift in the column. In the installations observed, there were usually k trays being filled and entering the column, ^0 trays within the column, and 2 emerging from the top of the column where they were automatically dumped. The empty trays were then conveyed from the dumping station to the automatic filler. The complete cycle is automatic. One operator is required to attend the equipment. The freezing cycle requires about one hour but can be varied accord- ing to temperature and product by means of variable- speed drives. The column freeze is used in only two of the plants surveyed. iid*f',';«?Lf ;i 44p£$gBgj| £q$3 .aafj. (W /i»d* aaal aX. laism Mioe '5a aaft^a. *aa* ..rfci-ifv .xiafiaj/y, o^i^-i^aa, *a. * * ^* ,,>0 fca?pai.w& .-sue caa, WU- pllu&'i&ysi, \c. ip • i*9*U 'yf.vv .p\asi vtqass sri'T . ■.•sq«wi> y.-Xv:vL Jj&ncv^.t.a it-di^ay ©d aa; 3*. (2) Belt-Tunnel Method . "-This method is also used for individu- ally quick- frozen products. After leaving the final inspection belt, the product is conveyed onto a wide (6- feet to 8- feet) wire mesh conveyor for movement through the freezing tunnel. The product is subjected to an air blast within the tunnel. The speed of the belt is regulated by a variable- speed drive as the length of time required for freezing varies with type of product and the tem- perature and volume of product on the belt. The frozen product is conveyed through cluster-breaking equipment and thence to filling stations. Several plants have a system of shakers which are used for freezing a loose product. The shakers are used to prevent the product from clustering. The belt- tunnel method is used by 18 of the 58 plants included in the survey and is quite popular in green pea and Lima bean plants. (3) Tray-Tunnel Method . --Individually quick-frozen and prepackaged items are frozen by this method. The chief advan- tage of this method is its flexibility relative to a wide range of products. Of the 58 plants surveyed, 36 use this method. The tray-tunnel method is similar to the belt-tunnel method except in the means used to move the product through the tunnel. The product, loose or packaged, is placed on trays which are then loaded on shelves in carts or skids. The loaded skid is then placed in the tunnel and removed as soon as the product is frozen. Another method used in the Pacific Coast states is movement of the skid through the freezing tunnel by means of a floor conveyor in a continuous operation. This method is the most popular in the Northwest. Room Freeze . --This type of freeze is used by a number of berry packers in the coastal states. It is simply a refrigerated room kept at extremely low t . "11 :'.'. f 'UiJ »(i£K .7 >»rt.-r. Are >ii "v't btflx.i 1 ■ - mi':.'!**!. '7 :!»••; <■"•.■;,' ■'"?»'. "tu .oSicS* ri |" Jlji: ».-.. ••' •• r..-.-/o.-.wt /i;-'.'.;, ( jfs'rtiif >;i j HI b*- 35. temperatures (-20° to -k0° Fahrenheit). Most room freezers are equipped with fans or blowers to hasten the process. Bulk products and cased berries are trucked to the freezing room by powered hand trucks or by lift trucks. The Cabinet or Plate-Freeze Method ,— This method is used quite extensively in the Pacific Coast freezing industry, Its advantages include flexibility with respect to type of product frozen and ease of freezing facility expansion. The method, because of its pressure -plate mechanism, results in more uniform packages and permits the use of containers with thinner wall construction which cost less per unit than conventional packages. The cabinet or double contact pressure-plate freezing unit is adapted to retail and institutional sizes after packaging. Refrigerant circulates through plates which are in direct contact with the package. The plates are raised and lowered to make contact with the packages by means of a double-acting hydraulic ram. Packages are placed by hand or by an automatic loader into the cabinet. A recently developed plate freezer is belt fed and loaded and unloaded semiautomatically-an innovation which substantially reduces labor requirements. Regional Research in Frozen Fruit and Vegetable Marketing The preceding sections have emphasized the remarkable growth and devel- opment that has occurred in the production of frozen fruits and vegetables in the Pacific Coast area. There has been rapid adaptation of technology and expansion in the size and number of plants and facilities. The greatly increased marketings of frozen fruits and vegetables may be expected to have a significant effect on the location of production areas, type of processing and marketing facilities required, and on competitive relations among producing areas, products, and product use forms. 36. Regional research designed to analyze these problems is in progress in the Agricultural Experiment Stations of each of the Pacific Coast states and in the Agricultural Marketing Service, U. S. Department of Agriculture. The research involves studies of costs and efficiency in processing and studies of transportation and distribution of frozen fruits and vegetables with respect to an efficient pattern of development of this industry in the western region. Parallel research presently in progress by these agencies includes the study of competition among fresh, frozen, and canned fruits and vegetables in which relationships among demand, supplies, and prices of these products are stressed. As these phases of the project are developed, the results will be applied to an analysis of problems in interregional competition emphasizing the present competitive status and development potential of the Pacific Coast freezing industry. aril rtftacftobi^A 1-J Hmntqm t S .« ? $5tYlsEi 311***3 Ci* i&*rtgd.iJiV aside* $8<5Ff Baa feiitjfl iHiCi'*"! Vi aoi Jtjr ■ 1 1 j 18 ItbU&'Qii :'!".u • . • 1 ■ . ! ••-'*. *