From farm to shelf: how the fruit and vegetable supply chain works and why it needs to be digitalized today

According to the FAO, up to 30% of food waste stems from inefficiencies in managing the fresh produce supply chain. At a time when sustainability, transparency, and quality are top priorities for both consumers and regulations, it's time to completely rethink the value chain.

In our daily work with large-scale retailers and fresh produce producers, we see recurring issues:

• Perishability and Freshness

Freshness is the number one purchase driver, yet it’s difficult to guarantee at every step of the supply chain.
Consumers evaluate fresh produce primarily based on its freshness. According to McKinsey, over 70% of grocery shoppers choose where to shop based on the perceived quality of fresh products.
Yet, FAO data shows that up to 45% of fruits and vegetables are lost before even reaching the shelf. Why? Because the supply chain is long, fragmented, and often opaque.
Maintaining control over freshness — from harvest to shipping to point of sale — is one of the most urgent challenges that Thinkin can help address.

• Volatile Product Availability

In the fresh produce sector, availability is affected by seasonal, climatic, and geographical conditions — unexpected rain, heatwaves, frost, changes in ripening times.
These factors can drastically alter harvest timing and volume, making forecasting extremely difficult.
Additionally, the supply chain involves a wide range of small, localized suppliers, each with their own schedules, packaging standards, and logistics networks.
This fragmentation leads to an inconsistent and poorly standardized product flow.

• Inefficient Reordering

Another frequent issue is the lack of reliable data on inventory levels and product movement speed throughout the supply chain.
Warehouse and store managers often lack up-to-date, accurate visibility on how much stock is actually available, what’s about to expire, or what’s moving too slowly.
Why? Because information is collected manually, scattered across different systems, or simply not accessible in real time.

This data gap has a direct and measurable impact on operational efficiency and profitability.
When reorders are based on rough estimates rather than real-time data, the risks are:

• Over-ordering: leads to waste, unnecessary logistics costs, and overburdened staff.

• Under-ordering: results in empty shelves and lost sales.

In both cases, control is lost, and the customer experience suffers.

• Manual Operations

Labeling, quality control, and inventory still done on paper = errors and slow processes.

• Lack of Traceability

Now more than ever, consumers want to know where their food comes from.
They want to scan a QR code and see the origin, harvest date, who packed it, and even how it was transported.

On top of that, regulations are tightening, both nationally and at the EU level.
From the EU Food Traceability Regulation to growing ESG (Environmental, Social, Governance) requirements, the message is clear: every step must be transparent and verifiable.

• Disputes and Extra Costs

In fresh produce logistics, the absence of objective data can turn small incidents into major financial and relational problems.

Example: A distribution center receives a batch of vegetables with wilted leaves or damaged packaging.
The supplier claims the shipment left in perfect condition.
Who's right?
Without temperature tracking, shock detection, or transit logs, there's no way to prove it.

Another scenario: Some reusable plastic crates (RPCs) never make it back to the supplier.
The retailer says they returned them. The supplier says they didn’t receive them.
No return records, no delivery proof, no geolocation.

Result? Disputes, delays, and often unexpected costs charged to the wrong party.

In these cases, the lack of verifiable data breeds mistrust, claims for damages, operational waste, and broken business relationships.
With a digital, traceable system, every step is documented, every container has a “memory,” and every action can be verified in seconds.

To address the inefficiencies plaguing the fresh produce supply chain, Thinkin offers a concrete, scalable, and field-ready solution: connected smart containers that turn an ordinary crate into an active IoT device.

For Producers

• Batch traceability from harvest to shelf
  Each ThinkIN smart container records and transmits data related to origin, variety, harvest date, and environmental conditions. This enables full, verifiable traceability—essential for meeting retailer and regulatory demands.

• Reduced waste and labeling costs
  The digital display replaces paper labels, eliminating manual errors, consumables, and rework. Everything is dynamic and can be updated remotely.

• Greater transparency and fewer disputes
  With objective, traceable data throughout the supply chain, producers can easily prove product compliance and reduce the risk of disputes with clients or distributors.

For Logistics Centers

• Automated goods receiving, weighing, and quality control
  With automatic container identification and pre-loaded display info, goods intake becomes faster, more accurate, and fully digital. Quality checks are quicker, with fewer errors and no paperwork.

• Enhanced visibility on product rotation and anomalies
  The ThinkIN platform allows real-time monitoring of slow-moving batches, approaching expiry dates, and issues like missing containers, temperature anomalies, or lack of movement.

• Dynamic order planning
  With reliable, up-to-date data, logistics can optimize outbound flows, reducing urgency, overproduction, and partial shipments. Fewer empty runs, more operational efficiency.

For Retailers

• FIFO management and smart reordering
  Digital displays guide staff during picking, showing which container should be used first based on FIFO logic. The system can also trigger automatic reorder requests when stock levels drop.

• Automatic label updates
  Product information (batch, origin, expiry date, QR code) is updated in real time on the container’s e-ink display—eliminating labeling errors and manual interventions.

• Improved customer experience and reduced waste
  Shoppers find fresh, well-organized, traceable products. Less spoilage, fewer stockouts, more trust in the brand. A store that communicates transparency, quality, and innovation.