Reducing food loss and waste and delivering good quality fruit to international markets is the biggest challenge faced by producers and exporters in South Africa. Therefore, means to reduce food loss and waste on South African fruit are a priority. Such action will not only create confidence in produce from the country but could also translate into better returns for producers and exporters, ultimately enhancing the long-term sustainability of the industry. The PPECB Research and Development (R&D) Unit has taken a keen interest in dealing with this challenge. For the past two season of 2024/25 and 2025/26 the Unit has been actively conducting trials focused on food loss and waste, alongside temperature monitoring of mango and litchi fruit in the export value chain. These trials form part of PPECB's commitment to applied research that directly informs better decision-making, improved handling practices, and enhanced fruit quality outcomes.
Food loss and waste often occur incrementally, from harvest through packing, cold storage, shipping, and on final arrival in the market. The current trials aim to identify what losses occur, where, when, and why these losses occur, and how handling practices influence fruit condition over time. The trial, currently in its second year, observed in the first year of testing that litchi fruit suffer significant losses in the orchard due to sunburn, poor colour and stung fruit, among the major disorders. Losses on arrival in the market were not as catastrophic as the fruit tested was an air freight consignment to the USA. Cold chain management was poor, in air freight, but this did not translate to major quality defects due to the short duration of the voyage. Mangos on the other hand, showed some losses in the orchard due to sunburn, poor size and injuries. Losses in the packhouse increased due to latex burn and other defects. The biggest loss on mango fruit was on arrival in the market, where quality was poor due to soft fruit and decay. While cold chain management was optimal during handling and shipping, fruit quality was not, due to longer storage.
The value of this research lies not only in data collection, but also in how the findings will be applied and have real world impact. This work will form the basis for further research on how to mitigate against losses at the different stages of the value chain. This research will also lead to improved handling and temperature management protocols for mango and litchi fruit. A concise report will be concluded at the end of the 2025/26 season.
It continues to remain our pleasure to research challenges such as these which impact the industry and we remain grateful for the cooperation of producers and exporters in the Hoedspruit and Malelane areas who have allowed the PPECB to conduct these trials over two seasons, on their farms. We look forward to continued cooperation as we translate these results into further research and practical solutions.