All HAMLET PROTEIN products come with a quality guarantee. We asked Quality Manager Anne Thylkjær Houtved about the actions behind the words – and how they benefit customers.
Quality for us is many things. At production level, it’s about ensuring product uniformity and eliminating the risk of contamination, for example with salmonella. Our processing lines are completely closed so no contaminants can enter at any stage. The fact that our plant is certified according to GMP+ and ISO 22000 is another guarantee to our customers that we live up to recognised international standards.
All raw materials come from approved suppliers, who must also be GMP+ certified and meet our specifications. As soon as the raw soya enters our plant, our laboratory makes the first analysis. Random samples are taken once every four hours during production, so we ensure customer specifications are met.
The final laboratory analysis is always of the finished product. No batch leaves without being tested.
We have a long list of standard analyses, which we adjust according to specific customer requirements. One of our most important tests is for the anti-nutritional factors (ANF) that limit nutrient absorption. We have one of the few laboratories with the capability to do that. It’s a very difficult analysis that requires a lot of experience and expertise.
Yes I do, but, of course, there is always room for improvement. Our trained team of internal auditors is responsible for keeping a critical eye on the way we do things. They are good at asking the right questions and making suggestions for improvements. We also expect department managers and staff to identify quality improvement initiatives. In this way, everyone within the company is quality focused.
By working with everything from feed safety to Lean manufacturing and general quality management, we ensure a consistent approach throughout our organisation and the consistent quality of our products and services.
Certain countries require products to be registered before they may be imported. This is something we can help customers with. Such registrations require us to document product uniformity and analysis results. We also supply safety and data sheets.
Similarly, we tailor products to meet market requirements for content and sack type.
All our products have a standard shelf life of two years, providing they are stored dry at a temperature of 20-25°C. The sacks we use are tested and approved for food use.
What is particularly important when our products are shipped overseas is that they are transported immediately from the harbour to the customer. Quality can deteriorate if products are left at the harbour for too long.
We regularly invite our customers to our plant here in Denmark so they can see how we handle and store the products and ask us questions.
how we ensure quality and feed safety >> |
