The issue is further complicated by the federal government. Collotti blames the issue on the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s revised hours of service rules. “What used to take three or four days, now takes four or five,” he observes—and this is a big spread in the perishables business. Collotti says there are fewer drivers now too, adding to the transport squeeze.
Food Safety
The next most vexing challenge is the race for food safety compliance. “The blitz is on for food safety,” says Tom Curtis, president of Tom Curtis Brokerage, Inc.
Certifications are now the rule, and no longer a suggestion. Whether selling to restaurants, institutions, or retail grocers, suppliers will need proof of HAACP, GAP, and/or Primus certifications. Yet most merchants echo the same sentiment: “It’s worth it,” states Curtis. “All it takes is one person not to care. All it takes is one incident to destroy a farm, a business, an industry, and then we all find out what the cost really is if we don’t do it.”
Now three years old, the PWPM was designed specifically to prevent foodborne illnesses. Surfaces are easily cleaned—an important variable in inspections—and, unlike its Dock and Galloway Street predecessors, the current Philly market’s 700,000-square-foot “produce mall” is fully cooled. As Michael Reilly, owner of Ryeco, LLC puts it, “The cold chain is never broken here. Produce is handled at the right temperature from the time it is received until it is out the door.”
Better yet, varying temperatures are a snap at PWPM, where one of the top benefits is making compliance simple by eliminating the detrimental and risky effects of erratic temperatures. As Curtis states, “It’s clean, it’s safe, it’s sanitary.”
Another bonus of the controlled climate is the added longevity of the inventory. “There’s virtually no shrinkage here,” explains Collotti.
Philadelphia Wholesale Produce Market
6700 Essington Avenue
Philadelphia, PA 19153
(215) 336-3003
www.pwpm.netOpen to the public
Size: 700,000 sq. ft., near the Schuylkill RiverHours:
Sunday 10:00 am to Monday 1:00 pm
Weekdays 10:00 pm to 1:00 pm
Anytime by appointment
Peak Hours: 4:00 am to 10:00 am
Closed: Saturdays, July 4, Christmas Day & New Year’s Eve
