However, because consumption growth is so robust, the absolute volume of wholesale shipments may not fall. Pressure to Upgrade Packing Chain stores drive down costs at all links in the distribution chain. One focus of efficiency gain is reducing the proportion of produce that must be discarded because of damage or poor quality. Thus, the demand for predictable quality generates a demand for better sorting, packing, and shipping. In the U.S., produce packing evolved through several stages.
Cartons are generally cheaper, provide superior protection, and yield fewer losses.
This allowed the use of forklifts, reducing loading times, product losses, and labor costs. Unitization is widespread in the U.S., although not universal. In Mexico, in contrast, unitization is the exception rather than the rule. Export tomatoes, for example, are exactingly sorted for size, color, and quality. Mexican apples are also immaculately packed because of direct competition with imports from the U.S., Canada, Chile, and New Zealand.