TAMPA, FL – With the number of cases of fresh produce shipped in IFCO RPCs exceeding 1 billion last year, tests have been conducted to monitor the level of microbial activity in RPCs and cardboard boxes.

The third-party tests were conducted on randomly selected samples at various packing operations between March and August of this year using industry-accepted testing methodology.  The tests have shown significantly lower microbial activity on RPCs than cardboard boxes immediately prior to packing.

According to a press release, these results provide further evidence of the effectiveness of the IFCO wash process in producing clean, food safe containers.

The microbial activity can come from a variety of factors, many of which are tied to practices in grower operations, the press release states.  Even with the elevated microbial counts often found on the cardboard boxes, there has never been a food safety incident traced back to any kind of transport packaging.

Even still, this microbial activity led IFCO, along with other RPC poolers, growers, retailers, both the U.S. and Canadian Produce Marketing Associations, and the United Fresh Produce Association to form a Food Safety Committee under the umbrella of the Reusable Packaging Association two years ago.

The purpose of this group, and others like it currently in development, is to provide the fresh produce supply chain with information to support the commitment to food safety and potential food safety risks.

IFCO regularly commissions microbial tests to inform the public on its efforts to improve food safety across the fresh produce supply chain.

IFCO