Jacky Foo, USP-Samoa asked:
>does high losses of produce also reflect on a surplus of food
>or is it purely a matter of the efficiency of management and transportation

Manfred Fehr [mailto:fehrsilva@mailcity.com] responded:
>I have some trouble in understanding your question. ........(cut)....I do not
>see how any such trader would intentionally throw away produce after
>having bought it. This practice would cut directly into his or her profits.

In the transportation of food, the speed and care given may sometimes be
given to the value of the food. Often if we have an expensive produce where
the price of an item is high, special attention is given. Low price produce
dont usually get the same attention. In the same way I feel that when food is
in surplus (i.e. lower priced as usual), negligence cause higher losses.

Thus the question could be re-worded in a different way:
Q: Did you find higher losses (percentage) for a specific produce at the peak
of its production season ?
at the growing (farm), marketing and consumption stages.

regards
jacky