food safety
At Federal Foods Limited, we prioritize food safety to ensure the highest quality of our fruits and vegetables. Our dedicated Quality Assurance Team has developed a rigorous system of guidelines, practices, and procedures that encompasses every aspect of our business. We take pride in adhering to international standards and regulations, and work tirelessly to maintain the integrity of our products throughout the export process. When you choose Federal Foods Limited, you can trust that you are receiving the freshest, safest, and most delicious fruits and vegetables Uganda has to offer.
FEDERAL FOODS LTD QUALITY MANAGEMENT PROCESSES AND PROCEDURES
The management of Federal Foods Ltd commits to consistently provide safe and quality products to its customers following different required standards and regulations as well as agreed customer specifications eg. CODEX, HACCP, ISO, GlobalG.A.P, EU regulations, UNBS, GAC, GMPs, GAP, MAAIF Plant health Act etc.
Codex guidelines and HACCP (Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point) approach forms the core of the entire food safety system of Federal Foods with a primary objective of ensuring that foods provided on market are safe and suitable for human consumption. Federal Foods also have the overall commitment to meeting Phytosanitary standards in work practice as defined through its inspection and quality support of business processes. Through each of their business operations, the Phytosanitary Management System is aligned with the goals and strategic direction of the organization.
The quality processes start from the farm/garden to the packing house up to dispatch or point of exit.
PRE-HARVEST FARM SURVEY AND FIELD INSPECTION
Equipment requirements
- Field maps
- 10x hand hens
- Pocket knife/scissors
- Tape measure
- Sampling bags or envelopes (paper)
- Labels
- Ice chest
- Hand counter
- Diagnostic illustrations
- Report forms
i) Prior to harvest of fruits and vegetables, the production supervisor (Agronomist) shall undertake a pre-harvest survey and field inspection/scouting of farm registered with the packing house facility for the assessment of fruit production and pest status.
ii) The sampled fruits shall be visually examined to determine the status of pest or damage and perhaps the right stage of maturity.
iii) The agronomist shall record the incidence of pests and diseases affecting the fruits/vegetables and verify the records of pre-harvest control practices adopted at the farm, e.g. the target pest involved, name of the pesticide used, concentration of active ingredient, and the schedule of spray.
iv) She/he shall assess the healthy fruit production from the registered farm to facilitate planning of export. If any infestation is noticed, the same may be referred to the NPPO for confirmation of pest identification.
POST-HARVEST PROCESSING OF FRUITS AND VEGETABLES
During processing, pest control checks shall be integrated, all sorters taking responsibility to keenly observing and removing any pest or damage or reporting such cases to the Phytosanitary supervisor.
CLEANING AND WASHING PROCEDURES AND METHODS FOR FRUITS AND VEGETABLES.
In order to increase the quality levels of the fruits and vegetables, cleaning procedures shall include the removal of debris and any soil particles from fruits/equipment surface, application of a detergent solution (where applicable), rinsing with potable water and, where appropriate, disinfection.
RECEIVING OF PRODUCE & UNLOADING AT PACKING HOUSE FACILITY
- Quality supervision permits unloading of the produce (fruits) from the farm registered with the pack house facility at the unloading area.
- Quality supervisor records both tare weight of crates and net weight of fruits with the help of a digital weighing balance (while weighing, care is taken not to weigh more than five crates stacked one above the other at any one time to prevent causing damage to fruits).
- Quality supervisor ensures the produce received at the facility, farm-wise, identifiable by a production unit code number to maintain traceability and to avoid mixing of the produce.
- Quality supervisor records the details of the produce received in a product log book maintained at the pack house facility.
PRE-PROCESSING PHYTOSANITARY INSPECTION AND STORAGE
- The Phytosanitary supervisor at the beginning of inspection verifies each and every crate containing fruits and/or vegetables are suitably labeled/marked providing information on Name of farm, location, production unit code number, production/variety and date of harvesting and the commodities received are from the farm registered with packing house facility.
- He undertakes the random inspection of sampled fruits and vegetables with the help of trained workers/sorters to assess the Phytosanitary and quality status of the fruits.
- If sizable number of immature/undersized, scarred, bruised fruits are noticed, he immediately segregates that lot and distinctly marks “not for exports” to prevent admixing with other lots for processing for exports.
- If any pests, damaged/diseased/rotten fruits are noticed, the same are segregated and the segregated crates marked distinctly “Rejected” and rejected crates are removed immediately to rejected article storage area to prevent spread of contamination and held until further disposal.
- Phytosanitary/quality supervisor records the quantity of rejected fruits each lot wise in the product logbook maintained at the facility.
