What packaging is costing growers — and why more are switching to reusables

Produce growers have a long list of challenges they’re trying to solve. Labor is harder to secure and retain. Input costs are unpredictable. Freight remains a moving target. And unpredictable weather patterns are adding volatility to harvest timing, crop quality, and yield.

Meanwhile, customer expectations haven’t slowed. Retailers continue to demand tight delivery windows, consistent product, and clear traceability processes—without necessarily offering higher prices or more flexibility in return.

Against this backdrop, many growers are reevaluating how every part of their operation contributes to performance—including packaging. 

What do you do when the default packaging has faults?

Corrugated boxes have long been the go-to packaging solution in the food industry. But in many operations, this standby is contributing to the very challenges growers are trying to fix.

• Corrugated requires assembly, straps, wrap, and stabilization. 
• In wet or humid conditions, they absorb moisture and break down. 
• Under stacked and over weight, they often collapse. 

These failures happen in the field, in cold storage, and in transit—each time leading to fewer saleable units, lost time, and higher cost per load.

Why reusable crates are replacing corrugate

Reusable Plastic Containers (RPCs) are designed to eliminate specific bottlenecks—both operational and logistical. They’re used across a range of crops and workflows, from field-packed leafy greens to shed-packed broccoli, citrus, and wet veg.

They’re stronger than corrugated, easier to move, and built to maintain integrity through harvest, cooling, transit, and delivery.

Faster cooling

Because RPCs are ventilated and rigid, produce can cool up to five times faster compared to corrugated boxes. Rapid cool down helps maintain product quality, especially in time-sensitive or heat-affected harvests.

Reduced shrink

RPCs have four times the strength of corrugated boxes. They don’t collapse or sag under pressure, reducing product damage from compression, tipping, and repalletizing—and therefore cutting down on shrink.

Some growers have seen shrink rates decline significantly after making the switch; in one independent study, tomato traders cut transit losses by 80% and increased net profits by 7% after switching to RPCs.

Packaging costs

While single-use boxes are often viewed as cost effective, they have higher disposal costs and limited recycling options. On the other hand, by using RPCs hundreds of times, growers drastically reduce their per-use packaging costs and avoid the ongoing expense of buying and disposing of single-use containers.

Less labor at pack-out

Reusable crates arrive ready to use—no strapping, cornerboards, or reinforcement required. This allows workers to spend less time managing packaging and more time moving product. The result is faster throughput in both manual and semi-automated environments.

Grocers using RPCs save 5 days and 16 hours of labor per store annually due to streamlined stocking processes.

Improved load density

Consistent sizing and stackability mean more product per pallet and better use of outbound truck space. In contrast, corrugated boxes greatly vary in size, easily deform, and don’t stack uniformly. This wastes space, creating lower load density per truck, and increases transportation costs per unit of product shipped.

Equipment compatibility

Because of their standard footprint, RPCs work better in automated environments than wooden pallets or corrugated. Not only are they rigid enough to be handled by machinery, but they don’t require machine changes, increasing the rate of production and minimizing downtime, both crucial factors for high-volume operations.

Traceability built-in

RPCs like Tosca’s include passive RFID tracking to provide location and dwell time data. Active tracking features can also be added, allowing real-time information capture on temperature, location, humidity, and other customizable data points. That data can support internal QA processes or be used for compliance with FSMA 204 and retailer-driven traceability requirements.

What growers are asking about RPCs

As more growers explore RPCs, the same questions often come up. These aren’t theoretical concerns—they reflect the on-the-ground realities of switching packaging systems during tight harvests, with limited labor and strict delivery requirements. 

Here’s what growers want to know before they make the move:

Will this work for our crop?

Yes. RPCs are already in use across a wide variety of commodities—romaine, spinach, celery, herbs, broccoli, citrus, root vegetables, and more. The key is finding a depth and footprint that matches your pack-out and transport requirements. 

Tosca has worked with growers using both field-pack and shed-pack models. In each case, the crate is matched to the product—not the other way around.

Do we need automation to see the benefit?

No. While RPCs are compatible with automation—and that’s helpful if it’s on your roadmap—the benefits show up well before that point.

Growers using manual lines see benefits like: 

• Increased pack-out speed
• Fewer repacks due to box failure
• Faster cooling times due to better airflow

Even basic processes like pallet building and staging get easier when the container holds its shape and stacks cleanly. If you’re running tight with labor or relying on seasonal crews, the time savings and ease of handling make a noticeable difference.

How does this work for seasonal operations?

RPCs can be accessed through a pooling model. That means you only use them when you need them—whether that’s for a 6-week romaine season or multiple harvest cycles per year.

There’s no capital investment or long-term inventory to manage. You receive clean, ready-to-pack crates ahead of harvest, and return them afterward. That flexibility matters when operations shift with the season and storage space is limited.

How do we know if this is the right move?

At Tosca, we work hand-in-hand with our clients to run through a pilot adoption. A pilot program lets you test RPCs with your crop, your crew, and your distribution routes.

This process allows you to see the impact on handling time, cooling rates, load configuration, and product quality in your real-world conditions. Most growers use pilots to measure shrink differences, monitor time savings, and gather feedback from their teams before deciding to scale.

In most cases, growers find they recover time, reduce damage, and gain more consistency—without disrupting what’s already working.

A practical change with operational payback

Packaging is part of nearly every activity in a growing operation—harvest, cooling, loading, shipping, and delivery. And when it underperforms, the effects ripple outward: lost time, increased handling, and lower product quality.

The right container won’t solve labor shortages or change broader economic conditions. But it can reduce damage, speed up handling, improve cooling, and lower transportation costs—without overhauling the entire system.

For over 60 years, Tosca has led innovation in the reusable transport packaging and pooling industry. Partnering with the world’s top brands, we create custom solutions that transform supply chains for maximum efficiency, product quality, savings, and sustainability.

For more information about Tosca’s reusable folding crates and packaging solutions, please contact us today.