Fresh Produce Focus: Onions

Onions have a global export value surpassing US$4.26 billion in 2022, ensuring their quality and safe arrival across continents requires meticulous handling throughout the entire supply chain.

Leading the way are these top exporting countries:

• Netherlands: US$849.9 million (20%)
• China: $564.9 million (13.3%)
• India: $524.6 million (12.3%)
• Mexico: $437.6 million (10.3%)
• United States: $321 million (7.5%)

Far from what some exporters may know that onions are never pre-cooled, should start pre-cooling their harvest. Ensuring top-notch onion quality throughout their transport journey relies heavily on proper cooling and storage.

• Green onions: For optimal preservation, pre-cool them to below 4°C within hours of harvest. Storing them at 0°C with 95-98% relative humidity (RH) extends their shelf life to 3-4 weeks. Remember, higher temperatures lead to quicker spoilage.
• Dry onions: Once dry, immediate pre-cooling to 0°C is essential. They can then be stored for 6-8 months at 0°C with 65-75% RH. Be mindful that high humidity encourages root growth and sprouting, while high temperatures promote sprouting and rotting.

Temperature management is equally important, requiring gradual reduction after drying and avoiding condensation during storage to minimize damage. Finally, controlled atmosphere (CA) storage using a specific mix of oxygen and carbon dioxide can extend the shelf life of bunched green onions, but it’s not widely used for dry onions as they store well under refrigeration.

Despite these best practices, cargo damage can still occur during cargo shipping, leading to cargo claims. Here’s where Recoupex comes in.

By providing expertise on proper cargo handling, Recoupex helps you significantly reduce the risk of cargo damage and associated claims. However, in the unfortunate event of a claim, Recoupex can also assist you in recovering compensation, provided proper pre-shipment procedures were followed.