Our infrastructure has been specially designed with the help
of experts in their specific fields to maintain the integrity of the
product throughout the entire process from production to consumption
A number of essential controls have been evaluated and implemented in various
segments of the infrastructure to ensure food safety. This is not just limited
to physical infrastructure but included staff who will maintain this
infrastructure and its suitability. A strict code of conduct therefore is in place to ensure that meat is handled
correctly.
Staff who handle products are trained in The Basic Principles of Food
Hygiene. All staff handling meat are required to comply with the
appropriate dress code. This includes the proper washing of hands, boots, coats
etc. Part of our hygiene audit includes the random swabbing of hands and
handling equipment. All chemicals used for cleaning are SABS (South African
Bureau of Standards).
Food Industry Approved.
Staff are required to be declared free of any contagious diseases which may
affect meat and are subjected to an annual medical examination by a registered
medical practitioner. Due care is taken during all steps of handling of meat to
ensure that no contamination or loss of quality takes place.
Preservation
The freshness and suitability for human consumption of meat products are
maintained in accordance with regulatory procedures which include an unbroken
cold chain, strict hygiene requirements and detection of deterioration systems.
Records of temperature readings, visual inspections and independent hygiene
audits are maintained and form an integral part of our quality system. The
company recognises theimportance of preservation especially when meat is
required to mature on the bone for long periods of time.
All cuts are packed and supplied according to customers' specifications. No
two meats are exactly alike; each one has its own characteristics and
requirements. Uniform batches of any size can be delivered and in order to
maintain quality, prolong freshness and enhance shelf life, the meat is vacuum
packed using the Cryovac system. The skin-tight shrink finish and high oxygen
barrier provides all round quality and hygiene protection whilst reducing the
risk of spoilage through bacterial contamination. This also reduces juice
migration.
Irrespective of the packaging method, size of order or cut of meat, one factor
remains constant - quality consistency.
Storage
Our ultra modern, state-of-the-art cold rooms and freezer facilities were
designed specifically for the cooling, storage and maturing of all
our meat products.
Controlled environments are equipped with sensitive monitoring equipment and an
alarm system is connected to ensure that early detection of any potential
problems are dealt with speedily by trained personnel who are on 24 hour standby
365 days per year.
Hygiene audits are conduct at least once per month by SGS South Africa, an
independent company who provide inspection and monitoring services for
international trade. During these audits, hygiene controls and systems are
checked and swabs are taken and analysed in their laboratories.
Market Access and Distribution
The preservation of meat is extended beyond the confines of static cold
storage areas and all the procedures and controls which are applied in the cold
storage facilities are also applied during transportation. All vehicles are
fitted with refrigeration units capable of maintaining the cold chain. These
units are serviced by the manufacturer on a regular basis to ensure their
continued reliability and effectiveness. Docking facilities at each of the
loading points are fitted to ensure the integrity of the cold chain.
Apart from our own vehicles with full stainless steel inside cavity walls, the
company makes use of specialised transport contractors who are evaluated against
our ISO9001 quality system criteria for compliance and their ability to provide
an effective service. Each vehicle used is equipped with voice communication
systems as well as sophisticated vehicle tracking systems which allow for
monitoring of vehicle movements and, in particular, unauthorised or prolonged
stops. One of the main long distance transport contractors which the company
uses extensively is Hestony Transport. Their track record, as a long distance
operator using refrigerated trucks, is highly regarded in South Africa.
Gateway to International Markets
The location of our facilities has been carefully chosen to allow for easy
access to the major ports within South Africa. The facilities are within easy
reach of the main cargo handling facility at Johannesburg International Airport.
The cargo section handles a large volume of perishable cargo in its modern
facility.
All major roads within the country cross at Johannesburg and the facility has
easy access to these routes which include the N1 (Beit Bridge - Zimbabwe to Cape
Town via Pretoria, Johannesburg and Bloemfontein), N3 (Johannesburg to Durban),
N4 (Johannesburg via Nelspruit to Komatipoort - Mozambique) and N12
(Johannesburg to Kimberly and Upington). Our facility near Upington is situated
on the N11 (Upington to Cape Town) whilst our facility at De Aar is on the main
road and rail route (Richards Bay - Durban - East London - Port Elizabeth - Cape
Town). The condition of all these roads is excellent as they are all National
Routes.
Perishable handling facilities exist at all the major shipping ports around the
coast and access to these within the road network systems is very easy.
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