Lake Ontario Fruit Program - Strawberry Harvest & Storage/Shipping Considerations - Worker Hygiene, Direct Markets, and Long-Distance Shipping

Sep 27, 2026

Uploaded by Ivy

Lake Ontario Fruit Program material outlines research-based handling practices for strawberries from harvest through storage and shipping. It explains why careful, trained picking and gentle handling are essential due to bruising and rapid decay risk, and highlights that quality declines as the season progresses. The guidance covers worker hygiene requirements to reduce microbial contamination, including hand-washing procedures and field conduct rules. It then compares strawberries for direct markets versus long-distance markets, emphasizing harvest ripeness targets and the role of rapid cooling and temperature management to maximize shelf life.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryHealthcare

FormatPDF

Pages2

Reading Time5 min

AccessFree to download

Strawberry Harvest & Storage/Shipping Considerations

Worker Hygiene

Strawberries Destined for Direct Markets

Temperature and Cooling Strategies

Strawberries Destined for Long-Distance Markets

Lake Ontario Fruit Program in Wayne, Orleans, Niagara, Monroe, and Oswego Counties Your Trusted Source for Research-Based Fruit Production Knowledge. Strawberry Harvest & Storage/Shipping Considerations Craig Kahlke, Lake Ontario Fruit Program With a certainly much more normal spring as compared to 2012, strawberry harvest will be underway shortly. Thus now is a good time to discuss handling of the fruit associated with harvest and post‐ harvest activities. Strawberries are among the most perishable of all fruits, and thus it is critical that marketing channels are open before harvest starts. Strawberries are extremely susceptible to bruising, and rough handling at harvest and during any time thereafter will encourage fungal growth and decay. It is critical that personnel be trained in the careful picking and handling of fruit. In addition, fruit quality declines as the season progresses, so the highest quality fruit will be earliest in the season. With varying degrees of ripeness in single plantings, it is also extremely important that the fruit is harvested as near peak ripeness as possible. Worker Hygiene From a food safety standpoint, (microbial contamination with the potential to cause foodborne illness) strawberries, raspberries, and blackberries are considered high risk. One reason is because often the last person to touch the fruit prior to it being eaten by the consumer is the picker, as postharvest on‐ farm washing soon after harvest reduces shelf‐life considerably in soft berries. Therefore, proper worker hygiene training is critical. Workers should ALWAYS wash their hands before entering the fields, and before/after eating and during breaks, prior to re‐entry into fields. This should be an enforceable rule. Workers should be trained in proper hand‐washing techniques, and always use soap and potable water, with single‐use paper towels. There should be no smoking or eating in the fields, and there should also be designated areas for breaks/lunches (these can be on the edges of harvest fields but not between the rows) . For more information and to order proper worker hygiene training materials, please go to [http://www.gaps.cornell.edu](http://www.gaps.cornell.edu), and click on GAPs Educational Materials. Strawberries Destined for Direct Markets Since most strawberry markets in the Northeast are consumed very close to the farms in which they are produced, many growers lack and may not need the cooling methods and storage facilities used by long‐distance shippers such as those employed by the production areas in California and Florida. Direct market channels are ideal for many growers in the Northeast, as fruit loss is further accentuated from shipping from the farm to wholesalers, and from the wholesalers to retail markets. By bypassing wholesale shipping, fruit loss due to bruising and fungal decay can be reduced by an average of 20% . For optimum quality, it is critical that direct market fruit is harvested at or very near peak ripeness. Top quality strawberries should be fully ripe, with a uniform red color, be firm, flavorful, and show no signs of decay or disease. Temperature is the single most important factor affecting shelf life of strawberries. If cooling down to the recommended 32 F is an issue for growers, research shows that strawberries held at 50F storage at high humidity will benefit storage life greatly as compared to room temperature storage. In addition, strawberries at 50F tend to retain their color and glossy appearance better than berries stored at 32F. Many direct‐market local growers claim approximately 90% of their strawberries are consumed the day they are harvested, thus in these cases, it is very critical that the berries be at peak ripeness. The berries are most often harvested in morning only when field heat is low, are usually then shipped out to markets on refrigerated trucks the same morning, reach the retail shelves by afternoon, and are bought and consumed withi

FAQs

Why is careful handling of strawberries after harvest so important?

Strawberries are highly perishable and extremely susceptible to bruising. Rough handling encourages fungal growth and decay, so fruit must be picked and handled carefully throughout and after harvest.

What worker hygiene practices are recommended during berry harvesting?

Workers should wash hands before entering fields, before/after eating, during breaks, and prior to re-entry into fields. Training should emphasize proper hand-washing using soap and potable water with single-use paper towels, with no smoking or eating in the fields and designated break areas.

How do cooling and storage approaches differ for direct markets versus long-distance markets?

For direct markets, fruit loss is reduced by bypassing wholesale shipping, but berries should be harvested at or very near peak ripeness and quickly cooled as needed. For long-distance markets, shelf life depends on harvesting at the white tip stage and starting cooling within about an hour, ideally using 32°F forced-air cooling with high humidity.

Sep 27, 2026

Uploaded by Ivy