The High Cost of Packaging
Yakima Valley fruit shippers consider a major shift to marketing apples without paper wraps to offset rising production costs.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
On account of the unusually high price of paper, much of the Northwest’s apple crop may go to market next fall unwrapped. A movement to this end was started in North Yakima yesterday when representatives of 12 shipping agencies met in conference. Since Colorado and Idaho both send large quantities of their fruit to market without wrapping and we come into direct competition with them, it becomes necessary for us to find ways and means for lessening the cost of our pack. It was suggested today that all C grade fruit shall be packed without paper and that extra fancy and fancy stock of some of the poorer grades be sent to market unwrapped. It is figured that the Yakima Valley uses about 100 cars of fruit paper and that half this amount can be saved if an agreement is reached. We can also pack the poorer varieties orchard run and mark the weight upon the box instead of the number of apples. A box packed unwrapped will hold about 10 per cent more apples than one packed wrapped and the buyer can hardly find fault with the proposition.
“Owing to the enormous increase in cost of paper it becomes necessary for us to consider a more economic way of preparing the fruit for market.”
This 1917 debate over supply chain costs and consumer expectations mirrors modern discussions about sustainable packaging, inflation, and how Washington's agricultural industry adapts to stay competitive in a global market.
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