BATON ROUGE, La. — To ensure product safety and durability, CPG manufacturers need to improve the quality of some of the case packaging used in the shipment of goods through the supply chain, said Randy Fletcher, vice president, logistics and supply chain management, Associated Grocers here. Fletcher told SN that his views on product packaging were directed to Michael Leavitt, secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services, who visited Associated Grocer’s warehouse last week as part of a fact-finding tour related to the safety of imported products. “CPG companies have made refinements in case packaging quality to cut costs,” he said. “As a result, when you commingle products, they don’t necessarily ride well or arrive at retail stores in good condition. That affects safety and durability in the supply chain.” As one example, he said that replacing cardboard with shrink wrap impacts the durability of shipments.

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