Monitoring avocado supply chain quality (AV22011)

What is it all about?

This project is objectively measuring fruit quality on retail shelves, in wholesale markets and ripening centres, and through targeted supply chain feedback and extension, seeking to lift the level of acceptability of retail samples (10 fruit per sample) from 73 per cent to 83 per cent acceptable (where acceptable is <10 per cent internal defects). This means that 90 per cent of all Australian fruit will meet the industry target of less than 10 per cent of internal defects.

A range of project services and communications will deliver customised and timely quality data to the industry, build quality management capabilities with key stakeholders, facilitate industry quality monitoring and review opportunities, and maintain industry attention and motivation for continual improvement in quality management.

Fruit quality is monitored in major and independent retail stores in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, and Perth, and maturity is monitored in the wholesale market. At least 600 retail samples are being collected and assessed from store displays annually over three years (1800 samples total). Each sample is ten (10) fruit, giving a total of 18,000 fruit being assessed over the life of the project. Wholesale maturity monitoring is being coordinated relative to each region's commencement of harvest periods. When immature fruit is identified from a supplier, follow-up sampling is undertaken the following week on fruit from that same supplier.

Supply chain quality monitoring is supporting active extension with high-priority packers. Samples are being collected from wholesalers and ripening distribution centres and assessed following a normal commercial ripening program, as well as following a 14-day storage challenge, to compare fruit quality under normal supply conditions, as well as under the upper limit of best practice time in the supply chain' conditions. 224 sets of supply chain monitoring samples will be conducted over the three years.

Additional active engagement includes regular reporting and review meetings with retailers and key packers and traceback services, where notably poor or excellent quality results can be reviewed to help identify opportunities for improvements in quality management best practices. 

Avocados Australia is coordinating the project, which uses consistent assessment methodologies and communicates across all aspects. Deidentified results are communicated to the industry through regional presentations, webinars, Talking Avocados magazine and Guacamole articles, and the Best Practice Resource.