How AI is Reshaping Fresh Produce Quality Control: Insights from Fruit Logistica 2025

FRUIT LOGISTICA 2025 has once again proven to be the epicenter of innovation in the fresh produce industry. This year, one theme stood out above all: AI-driven quality control is transforming the fresh produce supply chain. Based on what we saw from industry leaders, it’s becoming clear that the rate of technology adoption and digitization is accelerating. Businesses are hungry for data, and they’re using it to predict, adapt, and outmaneuver the competition.

Clarifresh was at the heart of these discussions, engaging with retailers, wholesalers, and growers eager to explore AI-powered solutions for quality management. These conversations covered a wide range of topics related to supply chain efficiency.

This article summarizes some of the key takeaways.

AI-Driven Analytics: A New Era of Quality Management

Traditionally, fresh produce quality assessments were siloed, with data only reaching quality directors after lengthy manual inspections. Many of the conversations at this year’s FRUIT LOGISTICA revolved around the ways in which AI is changing that.

• Instant Data Access: AI-powered tools, including mobile apps, now provide real-time quality insights to multiple decision-makers: sales teams, category managers, and allocators, helping them make faster, more informed choices. In other words, “Which customer should receive which pallet” is now a question that businesses can answer with clarity and certainty.
• Actionable Insights: AI enables better pre-allocation of harvest plots, ensuring decisions are made long before produce reaches the packhouse.
• Dynamic Intake Management: Retailers and marketing companies can now prioritize quality assessments based on recent supplier performance, allowing for more agile supply chain operations.

The Shift Toward Upstream Quality Assessments

Another trend that received a lot of attention was the industry’s shift toward conducting quality assessments as early as possible in the supply chain. Instead of waiting for produce to reach the packhouse, retailers and wholesalers are pushing inspections closer to the field. 

The earlier quality assessment happens, the more flexibility businesses have in routing produce to the right customers. In the long term, this means less waste, and more cost-effective logistics. For a long time, there has been some doubt about whether a technological solution can efficiently enable this shift.

But by now, AI-powered tools like Clarifresh have proven themselves. They offer real-time, smartphone-enabled quality assessments that finally make upstream evaluations practical and scalable.

The Growing Demand for Automated QC

Labor shortages remain a persistent challenge for the fresh produce industry, but automation is providing a solution. The industry is experiencing a shortage of experienced quality control professionals, pushing AI-driven QC to the fore. Companies cannot easily hire their way out of these shortages, but they can enable their teams with AI-powered tools that offer consistency and scalability. 

Major marketing companies and retailers are seeking a fully automated defect identification system that removes subjectivity and ensures uniform, data-driven quality assessments. The ideal state is for anyone with a smartphone to be able to conduct accurate quality evaluations and import the data into a shared system.

Key Industry Trends from FRUIT LOGISTICA 2025

This year’s event underscored how rapidly the fresh produce industry is embracing AI and automation. That shift was clearly visible to anyone who visited the technology hall, which saw record attendance. 

Clarifresh’s market presence has grown significantly, particularly in Latin America and Spain, with 30% more direct meetings with customers compared to last year, highlighting the strong demand for AI-powered quality control solutions. The industry now recognizes the risk of relying on subjective, human-based quality control. AI-driven tools enable companies to move away from manual, inspector-heavy processes and transition to scalable, smartphone-based quality control systems.

Looking Ahead: The Future of AI in Fresh Produce Quality Control

If FRUIT LOGISTICA 2025 showed us anything, it’s that AI-powered quality management is becoming the standard rather than the exception. With growing demand for real-time analytics, automated defect detection, and upstream assessments, the future of fresh produce quality control is undoubtedly digital. 

Clarifresh is proud to be at the forefront of this transformation, helping industry leaders redefine quality assurance for a more efficient, data-driven future. 

Get in touch with our team today to transform your quality control processes.