> This all started when I was looking into why instances in an auto scaling group were sometimes failing to bootstrap correctly.
Please use Packer to build your images; don't do it on ASG instance deploy.
If somebody in the company tells you you're not allowed to build your own images, tell them to go fuck themselves, and write an e-mail to that guy's boss's boss explaining how much engineering time you're wasting (and how likely the products are to fail due to ASGs trying to bootstrap systems on the fly) because they won't let you cut an AMI.
The cultivar of tomato determines how "stiff" it is, and somewhat how long until ripe. A different cultivar might result in a slight change in percentage damaged.
Heat ruining the crop? But tomatoes love heat. I know rot can set in much quicker as the tomato matures, if rot or nutrient deficiency was already an issue; for pristine 'maters, they can sit around for weeks at room temperature with no issue. Perhaps part of the issue is tomato health, and another part is ventilation / passive temperature regulation. So maybe someone could construct a cheap filler material that promotes airflow and put between the baskets.
The basket design could be altered to allow tighter packing of baskets. Currently they are circular, and so don't fit very tightly against the truck or each other. If they can be packed tighter, the baskets will help reinforce each other and prevent deflection. Square baskets may be best. There are many different designs for square woven baskets. In addition they can be made smaller which will provide more reinforcement material per pound tomato (this may increase the basket price somewhat but also reduce loss, making it a net gain).
If you knew why it was being used, you might not "consider it harmful"