Fresh produce supplier readiness: tips from a Woolworths expert

Carton and crate labelling for fruit & vegetables

For many fruit and vegetable suppliers, carton and crate labelling is a brand-new space that you may never have considered.

Here are some essential things to focus on:

1. GTIN barcode placement

Woolworths Group heavily relies on the GTIN barcoding of trade units (cartons/crates) to identify products through the supply chain and in-store back-of-house processes.

The placement of carton GTIN barcodes is essential to ensure that team members can quickly identify stock at first glance and don’t have to waste time trying to locate a barcode.

The rules around how and where GTIN barcodes must be applied depend on the type of carton or crate you are using:

• Cardboard cartons using print-and-apply labels: GTIN barcodes must be on at least two vertical sides, preferably adjacent.
• Pre-printed cardboard cartons (where the barcodes are embedded into the artwork and pre-printed onto the flat carton): GTIN barcodes are required on at least four vertical sides of the trade unit.
• Returnable plastic crates:at least one produce crate label must be placed within the prongs on the forklift-entry side of the pallet.

2. Information required on fruit & vegetable crate and carton labels

In addition to the GTIN barcode, Woolworths Group requires additional information to be printed on the crate or carton label to ensure the team members can quickly identify the contents throughout the supply chain networks and in stores.

While not all fields are relevant to every category, required information can include:

• Product description and variety
• Country of origin
• Date packed
• Date of despatch
• Best-before date
• Harvest date
• Batch number
• Vendor name and full address
• Grower name and full address
• Packer name and full address

Check Woolworths’ requirements for details of what’s needed on your produce carton labels.

Pro Tip: When applying the label on the carton, make sure the prongs don’t obscure the information and cause a non-conformance issue.

3. Identifying temperature-controlled produce

Some produce, such as chestnuts, cherries, strawberries and apples, must be temperature-controlled throughout the supply chain.

To make it easy for team members to identify this and ensure food safety, these products must have a crate/carton label printed on pink paper.

For consistency, Woolworths is particular about the shade of pink, too: it must be Pantone Pink #182C.

Pallet wrapping for fruit & vegetables

Pallet wrapping is crucial for fresh produce suppliers looking to supply to Woolworths Group.

Here’s a breakdown of the pallet wrapping requirements:

• Stretch wrap should be applied with adequate tension and passes to ensure it secures the load.
• Stretch wrap must cover the top 30-50% of the wooden pallet to anchor the product and ensure pallet security.
• Loose or trailing ends of stretch wrap are not permitted – all wrap ends must be secured.
• Opaque or black stretch wrapping is not allowed – it must be a clear wrap.
• Stretch wrap should not be excessively tight, causing packaging deformation, breaking product perforations or damaging products.
• Nylon or string netting is not permitted as it poses a trip hazard to team members and causes issues with identifying stock and readability.

Pallet wrapping techniques for ventilation

Fresh produce isn’t like other products, as many fruits and vegetables must be kept cool throughout the supply chain. Ventilation is essential to reduce humidity, prevent mould formation, and prolong the shelf life during transit and storage.

Woolworths allows specific pallet-wrapping techniques for fresh produce to allow for maximum airflow without compromising the pallet’s stability and safety: