Damage during shipping and easier handling. Processing is a chance to use seconds - damaged or ugly potatoes that nobody would buy, and it packs more product i

Damage during shipping and easier handling. Processing is a chance to use seconds - damaged or ugly potatoes that nobody would buy, and it packs more product into less space and with an easier storage mechanism (freeze) than properly packing to keep it fresh. Employees can throw boxes of frozen food onto a belt where they have to gently place boxes of fresh food. Even with a well run shipping company and no problems you'll have a fair bit of spoilage and it means that every box is at risk of full rot (a bad apple...) and needs a human to sort through and pull it out. There are buyers of last resort at every stage of the journey who will take freshly damaged produce for immediate usage but they're often soup kitchens who can barely afford to pay.