5 Major Produce Shipping Challenges in 2025

Substandard shipping conditions are reportedly to blame for losing half of all fresh produce, and for producing as much as 15% of the country’s 60 million tons of annual food waste.

Loss, damage and spoilage in transit aren’t the only reasons produce might go uneaten; adverse weather and mechanical failures can result in entire shipments going bad, and some perfectly edible goods might simply get tossed for lacking sufficient cosmetic appeal (the general public is very attached to the idea of unblemished produce, and is quite bad at understanding expiration dates).

Still, considering all the resources required to grow, harvest and transport fresh produce, it’s worth evaluating where we can reasonably improve cold-chain shipping processes — and what could make shipping perishables more difficult in the months ahead.

Challenge No. 1: Temperature Ranges are Produce-Specific

Successful produce shipping requires preserving each (often delicate) commodity’s ideal environment through the entire packing, loading, transport, unloading, storing and stocking process.

But there’s a problem; not every commodity’s ideal environment is the same.

Every fruit and vegetable has an optimal temperature and humidity range to preserve its freshness in transit — a range so specific, only certain produce items can reasonably be shipped together in the same truckload without suffering premature spoilage (those who prefer a specific room temperature in their home or office know how much a difference a few degrees make).

Even produce with similar traits often differ when it comes to preferred storage and transport temps. For example, Navel oranges are best preserved in a narrow, near-freezing range (35–37°F) while Blood oranges prefer 40–44°F temps. Other citrus fruits like pineapple and grapefruit typically require much higher ranges. Check out the variance in some of some of these major “families” of produce:

• Root vegetables’ optimal temp can range anywhere between 39° and 54°F
• Squash tends to fall between 41° and 50°F
• Soft fruits and leafy greens typically prefer near-freezing temps (just above 32°F)
• Citrus fruits vary wildly, from near-freezing temps to the high-70s

The consequences of shipping perishables outside their optimal ranges are about what you’d expect: spoiled goods, rejected loads, a strained supply chain and ultimately a lot of wasted produce.

Challenge No. 2: Spoilage and Contamination are Constant Threats

Unfortunately, the equation isn’t as simple as pairing goods with agreeable temperature ranges together in a reefer. Some fruits and veggies still don’t play well together thanks to ethylene, a natural plant hormone that accelerates the ripening process. When it comes to how produce ripens, all commodities fall into one of two categories:

Climacteric perishables like bananas and avocados continue to ripen after harvest and produce high levels of ethylene.

Non-climacterics like berries, peppers, root veggies and leafy greens stop ripening once they’re harvested, but are highly sensitive to ethylene.

Even within a stable temperature range, storing the wrong items together can prematurely spoil an entire shipment, either from ethylene or from cross-contamination concerns (bacteria or viruses picked up from shared contact with farm equipment, humans, unwashed produce or any other product prone to seepage).

Contaminated or spoiled produce will be universally rejected upon its discovery — even if the load is delivered within the required temperature range.

Challenge No. 3: Inventory Management Is Complicated

Stores generally aren’t keen on stocking excessive fresh produce in their store rooms for a rainy day (the shelf lives of several key produce items are just a few days at room temperature). That means it’s someone’s job to accurately account for the produce currently in stock and forecast how much will soon be needed, then make the necessary arrangements.

This puts produce sellers in a tough spot. Predicting upcoming demand for certain foods well in advance might allow more time to line up transportation, but at the risk of unnecessary costs and excessive waste (or in cases of short-stocking, bummed-out customers and lost revenue). On the other hand, waiting to pay last-minute rates for reefers isn’t the most economical way to run things.

Most shippers negotiate contracts to ensure they have trucks awaiting their produce orders a few months at a time — but even with these contracts in place, a lot can go wrong when it comes to fresh inventory:

• Human error can lead to miscounted or misreported inventory.
• Mechanical failures either in a reefer’s climate control systems or under the hood can delay vehicles and in some cases spoil entire loads.
• Spoilage and rejected loads can frustrate even the most accurate forecasts (ordering produce versus receiving produce in fresh, ready-to-eat condition are often two different things).
• Seasonality determines what produce is freshly available, and from where — longer trips naturally add risk to a shipment’s cold chain integrity.
• Rising demand for healthy, farm-fresh foods makes the inventory management equation even more of a moving target.

Challenge No. 4: Labor Is Growing Scarce

It’s estimated that at least 70% of the country’s farm workers are immigrants from Mexico and South America. Working in difficult conditions for low pay, nearly half of these workers are estimated to be undocumented. With mass deportations threatening to remove roughly 40% of the industry’s labor force, severe consequences could be coming for the entire food supply chain:

• A diminished labor force means fewer hands in the fields at key harvest times, limiting the available food supply.
• Insufficient warehousing staff leads to mismanagement, errors and delays in processing orders. One study found 37% of organizations are experiencing high labor shortages, with 61% reporting transportation disruptions due to understaffing.
• The oft-debated driver shortage, while much more complicated than it initially appears, threatens to widen the gap between reefer availability and demand.
• Insufficient labor is cited as the key constraint for one in five U.S. manufacturing plants failing to produce at full capacity.

Challenge No. 5: High Costs and Competition

Reliable produce carriers (or carrier networks) are extremely valuable, given all that can go wrong if produce is mishandled in transit. However, becoming a reliable carrier takes some upfront investment in several areas often hidden from view, even from a logistics standpoint:

• Reefers are the backbone of produce transportation, but the temperature-control systems making them so essential require regular maintenance well beyond standard vehicle upkeep.
• Loss of labor sparks inconsistent produce supply, which in turn leads to costly shipping delays and a negative domino effect throughout the supply chain.
• Late harvesting or packing times force carriers to deal with unpredictable freight volumes, making it harder to optimize routes and loads efficiently.
• Eco-friendly alternatives to fuel and packaging materials can introduce higher overall shipping costs.

Perishable goods allow little room for error or recovery when delays occur, making contingency planning an essential but costly necessity.

Securing Cold Chain Integrity and Visibility

With so many variables threatening the successful transport of fresh produce, a secure cold chain has never been more critical. Shippers and carriers must invest in advanced refrigeration technology, meticulous inventory management, and strategic contingency planning to prevent loss, delays and unnecessary waste.

First Call Logistics specializes in efficient, reliable produce shipping, ensuring cold chain integrity through real-time tracking and a nationwide carrier network. Contact us today to learn how we can help keep your perishables fresh from farm to shelf.