PROCESSING, PACKAGING & VALUE-ADDED HANDLING
Once products leave the field, the real transformation begins. Processing, packaging, and value-added handling turn raw goods into market-ready commodities—extending shelf life, meeting safety standards, and adding economic value at every step.
This category captures the facilities, labor, and systems that power:
Washing, cooling, grading, and labeling operations
Co-packing and nursery potting lines
Cold storage infrastructure and energy demands
Traceability, certifications, and food safety compliance
Local and export-ready preparation for high-value commodities
1.Cold Facts: Cold Storage Construction Cost Trends
Data Highlights:
Riverside’s cold storage assets are valued at approximately $160 million, based on local facility counts and a $325/sq ft construction cost.
Supports preservation and quality-control infrastructure vital for perishables like citrus and leafy greens.
2. bureau of labor statistics: Metropolitan and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates 2023
Data Highlights:
Over 13,200 post-harvest workers in the Riverside-San Bernardino metro area earn an average of $49,600/year, generating over $1.1 billion in annual output.
3. California Department of food and agriculture: statistics review 2022-2023
Data Highlights:
Riverside’s agricultural packaging and ag plastics usage contributes an estimated $220 million annually, particularly in leafy greens, citrus, and ornamentals.
4. USDA Economic Research Service: Food Dollar Series 2023
Data Highlights
Applying the national 17.1¢ processing share to Riverside’s $1.54B crop output estimates a $263 million local processing-dollar impact.
Confirms robust value creation within county-level post-harvest stages.
5. ca ASSOCIATION of food banks: Costs & Benefits of SB 1383 - 2025
DATA HIGHLIHGHTS:
Indicates food banks in California incurred equal or greater costs than benefits when implementing SB 1383.
Highlights contractual, processing, and reporting costs that reflect downstream pressures on ag producers.
Shows that even charitable food systems must account for regulatory and handling expenses.
APA Citation: California Association of Food Banks. (2025). Costs & Benefits of SB 1383: Food Bank Data and Perspectives. https://www.cafoodbanks.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Costs-and-Benefits-of-SB-1383-CAFB-March-2025.pdf
6. Ag Census Interactive Maps
Data highlights:
$432,501 average production expenses per farm provide inputs to post-harvest handling and packaging.
Asset values in equipment and land support cooling, sorting, and packing infrastructure.
Byproduct and output volume from Riverside’s 2,424 farms feed local processing systems.
7. $783,935 Urban Ag Subawards via Inland Empire RCD
Data Highlights:
Supported the installation of post-harvest infrastructure (e.g., wash-pack areas, refrigeration, packaging) in urban and peri-urban farms across Riverside County.
Funding enhances local processing capabilities, reduces spoilage, and improves market access.
Promotes economic resilience in disadvantaged communities through improved cold-chain capacity.
8. Inland Empire Resource Conservation District: 2023–24 Annual Report
Data Highlights:
Over $1.2 million invested into Riverside County-based cold storage and packaging infrastructure, targeting urban and small-scale producers.
Supported 6 regional trainings on traceability, packaging compliance, and post-harvest food safety standards—reaching 120+ ag professionals.
These funds directly expanded the number of compliant packing facilities, co-packing services, and energy-efficient storage in the Inland Empire.
Supports critical elements of local ag value chains that improve shelf-life, market access, and farm-to-school distribution.
Demonstrates public-sector commitment to economic development through infrastructure and human capital investments in the post-harvest sector.
9. PSUSD Fresh Produce Distribution
Data Highlights:
Palm Springs Unified School District (PSUSD) distributed 1,200 boxes of fresh Coachella Valley-grown produce to local families, funded by a $150,000 grant through the LFPA Farms Together program.
Partner farms supplying produce included Aziz Farms, Dickinson Farms, Velasco Farms, and JRS Enterprises, providing local value‑added services such as grading, packaging, and cold-staging before distribution KESQ.
Expanded distribution coverage from 800 boxes in previous rounds to 1,200, evidencing increasing regional capacity in produce handling and community food access.
Supports downstream logistics and labor efforts tied to co‑packing and labeling — an anchor for community outreach.
Demonstrates integration of public grant funding with private growers to amplify cold-chain infrastructure and service delivery.
10. The Packhouse at Aziz Farms – KidChella Packaging Impact Profile
Data Highlights:
Enhanced local infrastructure usage: Hosting a large-scale event on-site demonstrates that the packhouse and cold storage systems at Aziz Farms operate beyond farm-to-market functions, serving educational and community purposes.
Operational leverage: Utilizing existing packaging, labeling, and cooling capabilities for 450+ participants highlights flexible processing capacity and exploits underused facility hours, adding economic utility.
Collaborative branding and value-added output: Partnership with school districts enhances farm visibility, encourages future institutional procurement, and signals potential for similar engagements that may generate incremental revenue.
Community-focused events reflect diversification of packhouse function, turning processing sites into multi-use venues that enhance local economies through event-driven flow.
Aziz Farms’s infrastructure now contributes to workforce education, increasing community interest in food systems and potential future labor pipelines.
Demonstrates elasticity of processing assets—enabling revenue generation through non-traditional channels, complementing standard post-harvest output.
