Development of a HACCP system for KFC vegetable shito

Abstract

Process Foods and Spices Limited (Samba Foods) is a privately owned food processing company and has been in operation since 1993. They target the local open market as well as export with USA as the main export destination for their products. The company produces KFC Vegetable Shito, which is a spicy smooth dark brown paste made of soya bean oil, onions, ginger, tomato paste, pepper, soya bean flour, iodised salt, seasoning, herbs and spices. Due to the nature of raw materials used and processing conditions employed, there is a need to conduct a HACCP (Hazard Analytical Critical Control Point) study and implement a HACCP system for the company. This will further guarantee the quality of the end-product and assure consumers of its safety. During the HACCP study, various components were addressed. These included obtaining management commitment; Pre-requisite programs (PRPs); Formation of HACCP team, Documentation of quality policy statement; Description of the product; Identification of intended use and consumers; Defining the scope of the study; Preparation of flow diagram; Identification of potential hazards and consideration of potential control measures; Identification of Critical Control Points (CCPs); Establishing Critical Limits (CLs) for CCPs; Establishing monitoring systems for the CCPs; Establishing Corrective Actions (CAs) when deviations from CLs occur at CCPs; Establishing verification procedures; Documentation and Record keeping. Management commitment was documented and PRPs were established for Samba foods. The PRPs included waste management, sanitation and hygiene, pest control, raw material control and storage conditions. The HACCP team was made up of two Research Scientists from the Food Research Institute of the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research, the Chief Executive Officer of Samba Foods and the Chief Operations Officer also of Samba Foods. The Quality Policy for Samba Foods was documented. The end-product, which is the KFC vegetable Shito was well-described and the intended use and consumers were identified. A flow diagram of the unit processes during product formulation has also been provided in this document. Hazards identified were mostly biological with one each of chemical and physical hazards. Critical control points (CCPs) were identified to be the raw material receipt, drying of vegetables, cooking, cooling and packaging. Critical limits were established for these CCPs and monitoring systems were set for the CCPs. Corrective action established for these CCPs in case of deviations from the critical limits include adjustment of parameters, reworking or discarding of products if the deviation is considered to be above stated limits. Verification plans were developed for the various components of the established HACCP plan. Documents were also created for documentation and record-keeping. The HACCP Plan has been successfully developed by CSIR-FRI team. The team would train and guide the SAMBA Foods HACCP team to implement the HACCP plan and thereafter CSIR-FRI would go through validation process to finalise the HACCP system for KFC vegetable shito