Raw Material Quality & Integrity

Transcription

1 Raw Material Quality & Integrity Supply Chain - Seed to Shelf Influencers of Raw Product Quality Fresh Cut Products Workshop September 13-15, 2011 Jeanna Kilmer Food Safety Manager Chiquita Brands/Fresh Express Influenced by Raw Product Quality What is Raw Product Well-defined & clear attributes Is raw material in specification? Quantifiable - Clearly communicated & documented expectations ~These all define the parameters for processing Why is Raw Product Quality so Important? Impact on Fresh-Cut shelf life, freshness & consistency Customer Expectations Consumer Satisfaction Brand Loyalty & Protection Attribute Importance Fresh >80% Tastes great 80% Healthy >75% Great fresh taste >75% Attribute A 75% Attribute B >70% Attribute C 70% Attribute D >65% Attribute E >55% Attribute F >45% Consumers want freshness every time! 100% Compliance = Freshness Guaranteed Identified Important Focus On Execution Highly Important 10 Critical Quality Impact Consumer Impact Operational Focus and FRESHNESS Measurements Linked to At Shelf Consumer Quality 1

2 Raw Product Standards Equal Freshness Raw Product Compliance Atmospheric levels Cut to cool Moisture Raw Product Quality Compliance Raw Product specification compliance is critical Address / quality issues early in the supply chain JR s Produce Yummy Salad Mix Complaints Poor quality Lost Sales $$$ Growing Field/Growing conditions Variety Weather/Season Plant Nutrition EDUCATION! Irrigation Field spacing Watch-outs! -Seasonal Transitions Leafy Greens tipburn, epidermal peel, mildew, insect damage, seeders, bruising, etc. Grower/Shipper Provide field QA personnel Harvesting Harvest management Minimize damage Cutting Tools Container size/shape/material/fill Cut to Cool time Specifications Watch-outs! Field Coring and MA Harvest -One cannot improve quality after harvest -Strict compliance to specifications -Trained staff, quality monitoring & corrective actions are essential Transit Transportation Field to Cooler Circulation is key Cooler to Factory Temperature/Air Flow Minimize physical damage Time and Temperature Cut to Cool Specification Grower/Shipper Harvest Cooling/Warehouse Age at Use Raw Transit Specification 34 o ~ 38 o Processing Raw Transit 34 o ~ 38 o 12 2

3 Receipt at Fresh-Cut Processor How do you know the Raw Product Quality received is what you expected/purchased? Inspection sampling plan Don t beafraidto just say no Business & Customer needs what to do if you need to just say maybe always assess risk and quality first Raw Material Quality Evaluation Cut to Cool Age at use Specification Cold Chain Compliance Performance 1999 Performance against Against Specification Breakdown of Major Defects by Type Defects by Type for Grapes Quality Attributes 5% 4% 4% 2% 6% 7% 32% 14% 23% 1% 4% 2% Continuous Improvement 6% 6% 4% 2% 6% 37% 15% 20% 4% 13% 13% 1% 2% 86% 1% 8% 5% 1/13/99 1/22/99 1/28/99 2/19/99 3/24/99 5/10/99 6/17/99 6/17/99 6/25/99 6/25/99 7/9/99 7/9/99 7/16/99 7/16/99 7/23/99 8/6/99 8/6/99 8/13/99 8/3/99 8/20/99 10/19/99 11/9/99 Evaluation Date 6% 27% 9% Split Defect 1 Decay Defect 2 Wet Defect Seal 3 Lettuce Density/Maturity Insect damage Insects Physiological disorders Seasonality Spinach or Spring Mix Leaf length First or Second Cut Cut location Quality Attributes Impact of raw product quality on fresh-cut fruit quality Fruit Variety Season Firmness Brix Titratable acidity Physiological disorders Flavor Vegetables Variety Firmness Physical damage 3

4 Quality Defects (Mildew) Downy Mildew- Grows in the under leaf Favors moist ambient condition near dew point Rain Fog Cool days Powdery Mildew- Thrives in warm, dry conditions Quality Defects (Tipburn) Warm weather producing rapid growth High humidity/warm nights Fog High light intensity Insufficient water absorption Lettuce Quality Defects Harvest Selection Process -Maturity Fringe Burn Wind Sun burn Year round Epidermal Peel Separation of the epidermis due to cold nights. Romaine Days to Harvest Yuma 100 days Huron Spring-110 days Salinas- 60 days (summer) Huron Fall 60 days Optimum Maturity vs. Younger Product Optimum Maturity vs. Younger Product Optimum Maturity - Committed to Heart ~ 1 week from Optimum Maturity (Committed to Heart, still open) Harvested after heart was fully developed Harvested before heart was fully developed 4

5 Optimum Maturity and Product Bruising Affects Levels of Maturity Raw product quality Factory/customer needs Fieldcored Conventional Romaine Yellow product bruising less noticeable Very green product (younger) bruising more noticeable No heart = No different color tone = Higher bruising levels Heart material Super heart Summary: How to achieve raw product quality Define your expectations - can drive specifications Know your supplier routine inspections are key Monitor conditions during growing and through supply chain use indicators to forecast Cold chain management Supply chain speed Trust but verify Protect your ingredients Handle with care Questions??? Jeanna Kilmer Food Safety Manager Chiquita Brands International jkilmer@chiquita.com