Quality Improvements in the Melon Supply Chain

This investment is developing minimum quality standards for seedless watermelon, rockmelon and honeydew melon to improve consumer acceptance of Australian melons and ultimately drive demand and sales. This project will model consumer liking according to measurable quality parameters, conduct product sampling for quality assessments and identify opportunities for industry to improve the customer purchase experience. These opportunities may be diverse and encompass on-farm practices (e.g., crop management practices, harvest dates), supply chain practices (e.g., handling and storage practices) or retailer practices (e.g., storage, handling and display). At the beginning of the project, the quality of melons available to consumers at wholesale and retail will be benchmarked so that any improvements that arise from project activities can be measured.