Harvest Dates – The Future of Fresh Produce

When – if ever – will food producers and retailers have the confidence to label their produce with its harvest date?

Many supermarkets already label their produce with the name of the farm on which it was grown. At the same time, they label it with a “Best Before” date. It should not, therefore, be too much of an extra burden to label the produce with the date that it was harvested.

Such information already appears on some processed, factory-made products as they are increasingly labelled with production dates. Admittedly, these dates are probably more about quality control and the producers’ ability to identify production batches than about giving consumers more information.

Instead, with regard to fresh produce, “Best Before” dates emphasise that the product has not yet gone bad, not how good it is. In fact, “Best Before” is a misleading and vague expression. It suggests that the produce is at its best before that date, but really, it has been steadily declining from the moment it was picked. It is also unclear what the “Best Before” refers to: its health benefits, its cooking properties, its taste, its appearance, or its bacterial degradation.

It would be far better to approach produce dating from the other end of the spectrum and lead with harvesting dates.

There would be substantial benefits to be gained across the supply chain – from producers through to consumers – if harvest dates were introduced:

• First and foremost, the fresher the food, the healthier it is for the consumer. Food begins to deteriorate as soon as it is harvested. The goodness of food – its vitamin and mineral content – declines rapidly as storage and transportation take their toll. The sooner it reaches the consumer, the better it is for their health.
• Adding value to a product is an opportunity for producers and retailers to charge a premium price. It’s a way to differentiate between suppliers; a way good suppliers can demonstrate their superiority.
• It would bring additional profits. Just as consumers are willing to pay extra for organic produce, they are also willing to pay more for fresher produce.
• As it is fresher, the food should also taste better.
• By labelling produce with a harvest date, producers and retailers will be more motivated to accelerate the field-to-shelf process. It’s an added area of supplier competition. This should help to streamline the supply process.
• Harvest dates would encourage consumers to buy more locally, as local suppliers should, in theory, be quicker to market. This would have environmental benefits.
• The earlier produce is bought, the longer it should last with the consumer, so there should be less domestic waste. Currently, in the UK, an average family with children wastes £700 a year on food.
• It gives the consumer more control over their purchasing. The more options consumers have over how they spend their money, the better it is for them.
• Consumers would be encouraged to buy more seasonally.
• Once initiated, the idea of harvest dates could be extended to other products – the date eggs are laid, the date meat is slaughtered, the date fish is caught.
• The more rapid turnover of produce, driven by consumer demand for it as soon after harvest as possible, would mean suppliers need to use less packaging to keep their produce fresh.

The advantages of harvest dates are seemingly apparent. However, it should be noted that not only are some of these benefits questionable, but the implementation of harvest dates would also raise certain challenges.

• If the health benefits of produce are seen to be lost or degraded because it was harvested so long ago, then produce might not be considered as desirable as it first seemed. Is there any benefit to buying a cabbage that’s already three weeks old? It may lead to a decline in the consumption of produce.
• The practicality of implementing and overseeing harvest dates may lead to issues. What happens if a farmer harvests a field over two days? How do we ensure dates aren’t falsified?
• Harvest dates would be a valueless distraction, as they do not account for other factors in the produce’s quality, such as whether it has been refrigerated, when it was last treated for pest and fungal presence, or whether its water content has been altered.
• Harvest dates might make consumers more choosy in their purchasing, which could then require more short-dated reductions and food waste with the retailer.
• Harvest dates give no indication of the quality of the harvesting process and subsequent storage. If it is not done properly – perhaps because it is rushed – any benefits in terms of time could be lost.
• Consumers may be shocked by how long produce is stored, particularly produce from other parts of the world. If they are told that a type of apple was picked six months ago, they might decide not to buy it. Consumer shopping patterns may change.
• The added red tape and complications might drive farmers out of the supply of consumer produce.

Unfortunately, consumers have very little collective power and, for the most part, would be unable to drive the introduction of harvest dates. If they were to happen, they would come from the producer and retailer industries themselves, as innovative suppliers seek to gain a competitive advantage.

Consumers can only hint at their interest in the idea; it’s up to suppliers to drive the change.

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For more thoughts, go to the Oxthink Home page or check out the different sections on Health and Well-being, Lifestyle Choices, Parenting Advice, Understanding Society and General pages.

Alternatively, for articles on genetics and evolution, visit this author’s dedicated site at Genetically Wrapped.