at Ohio State University in the mid-1940's (40, 41). It was estimated that be- 
tween 30 and 45 percent of all fresh fruits and vegetables were sold in consumer 
packages in the United States in 1960 (2, 79). Good discussions of the growth 
of prepackaging and of produce packaging requirements have been published (2, 
13 LOR OGL EDS one Lo OOOO) ok Wen Ehes face Of erowing competition £rom. 
processed fruits and vegetables, some experts felt that to reverse declining 
sales, 100 percent prepackaging of fresh produce was needed (2). Carlsen and 
Stokes (14) reported that 98 percent of 4,500 respondents to a survey indicated 
they would buy more apples if prepackaged. 
In 1960, about 45 percent of all apples sold were prepackaged in film 
bags, according to U. S. Department of Agriculture estimates (2). The extent 
of apple prepackaging varied markedly in different sections of the country. It 
was very high in the Midwest and Northeast. Brunk (10) found that as early as 
1953, 78 percent of the apples sold in New York were in polyethylene bags. Con- 
tinued growth of consumer packaging seems assured. 
Consumer packaging of apples is done in production areas, in central 
warehouses, in terminal markets, and in retail stores. Cravens and Bere (21) 
found that prepackaging costs were about 20 cents less per bushel, if packaging 
was at the country level rather than in retail stores. Carlsen and Stokes (14) 
also found that it was economically feasible to prepackage apples at shipping 
point. Carey (13) has discussed the pros and cons of packaging fruit at various 
levels. 
Advantages of prepackaging, often cited by growers, were that it was a 
good way to market small apples, that it increased apple sales and gave a higher 
net return (66). Sherman, Sharp, and Mitchell (77) reported that the 2%-inch 
size of apple was packaged more than any other size. They also found that 
spoilage losses for Ohio apples were very low in consumer packages. 
Types and Sizes of Consumer Packages 
The polyethylene bag is the standard consumer package for apples, espe- 
cially for the smaller sizes, Various procedures are available for packing in 
film bags (55). Standard thickness of film is 1.25 or 1.5 mils (.00125 or 
00015 inch). Sherman, Sharp, and Mitchell (77) reported that 1.5-mil film was 
strong enough even for 8 or 10 pounds of apples. The cost of plain polyethylene 
bags in 3-, 4-, or 5-pound sizes was approximately $7, $8, or $9, respectively, 
per thousand in 1964, The use of cotton- or paper-mesh bags for apples has 
practically disappeared because of their higher costs, Pliofilm and semimois- 
tureproof cellophane film bags have been used to a minor extent (14). De- 
scription of various films available for produce packaging, including gas 
permeability data, were published by Rogers (70) and Soso (78). 
Rasmussen and Thomas (66, 67) found that over four-fifths of the apples 
packaged in the Northeast were in 3-pound polyethylene bags. 
Various other types of consumer packages have been tested because of some 
reports of excessive bruising in jumble-packed film bags (11, 14, 26, 28, 39, 
42, 46, 54, 63, 64, 75, 87). Perkins and Underwood (63) tested molded-pulp 
trays holding 6 or 8 apples and polyethylene bags with a cell partition insert 
to separate apples. They reported 50-percent less damage to McIntosh apples in 
these containers during shipment compared with that occurring in jumble-packed 
polyethylene bags. Cairns, Carlsen, and Chapogas (11) and Havas, Henderson, 
Parsons, and Schaffer (42) also studied open-top trays, tape-wrapped trays, 
sleeve-wrapped trays, and complete film-wrapped trays for medium- and large-size 
39 
