Flake Ice For Food Processing Industry: Vegetable Produce Farmers

Processing fruit and vegetables takes precision and care. After all, produce can be ruined quickly if it is kept at the wrong temperatures. Cold temperatures can damage the produce, while hot temperatures can cause it to rot quickly. The main goal of any farmer or food processor is to keep the produce as fresh as possible for as long as possible. From harvest to table, flake ice for the food industry is the superior choice for keeping produce fresh.

On-Farm Flake Ice Makers

Flake ice machines are more energy efficient than block ice machines. On-farm ice makers are available to hold several days’ production of ice. This ice is often needed to keep produce fresh during a busy harvest. Unlike cubed iced or other forms of ice, flake ice has the most contact area of any ice form. This gives it exceptional cooling abilities. It also has fewer sharp edges than other ice forms, which reduces the risk of damaging delicate vegetables making HoweIce^® the go to flake ice for the food industry.

Shipping Produce with Flake Ice

Once the produce has been harvested, harvesters use flake ice for transport cooling of vegetables in trucks across the country.

Produce often needs to be kept cold, but not to the point of freezing. Many vegetables, such as zucchini, can be injured by keeping them too cold.

Flake ice for transport offers farmers a way to keep their produce safe and cool throughout the shipping process, without the risk of blemishes or damage due to extreme temperatures or moisture.

Top icing a truck loaded with cooled produce is one way to provide additional assurance that the product will arrive in perfect condition. Top icing is done by placing 2-4 inches of flake ice over the top of pallets of pre-cooled produce. Trucks loaded with this produce are frequently top iced just before shipment. However, top icing requires a lot of ice. For example, a 40-foot trailer of produce requires about 8,000 pounds of ice. Howe’s flake ice machines can easily handle this amount of ice daily, making flake ice for transport a perfect choice for shipping produce across the country.

Beautiful Displays of Produce

Once your produce arrives at the farmer’s market or supermarket, flake ice can help your produce sell quickly. Local farmers can use flake ice to display their produce beautifully, while also ensuring that their foods are both fresh and fully hydrated throughout. Flake ice conforms to the produce, allowing for the best appearance and aesthetics for maximizing sales.

Why Choose Howe?

Flake ice machines from Howe Corporation are the coldest and most efficient flake ice machines on the market. Produce suppliers, supermarkets, and food processors rely on having a constant supply of cold flake ice available to keep their products fresh and free from blemishes.

Our flake ice machines make anywhere from 1,000 to 20,000 pounds of flake ice per day, making it an ideal solution for supermarkets and produce farmers.

In addition to keeping vegetables free from blemishes and at the peak of perfection, Howe’s flake ice provides a beautiful and attractive display for fresh produce which is why HoweIce^® is the preferred flake ice for the food industry.

For any questions regarding using flake ice to preserve your fresh produce, ice flake machines, or any of our other ice products, please contact us.

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