Ice creams,jams,spices…and Housekeeping

A scoop of cold coffee with a dash of chocolate sauce and sliced almonds frozen comfortably is a perfect dessert, but it was an ice-cream feast at Baskin Robbins’ processing unit in Bhosari near Pune, when I reached there at lunch time, after a two-hour long drive. “Catching cold eating ice creams on a cool rainy day” is passé. A lavish second helping in hand, it was a perfect setting as Jayant Dange, Senior Manager, QA, Rich Graviss Products Pvt. Ltd, explained with passion all about his ice creams and toppings that conform to international standards.

This is the same place where Kwality Ice Creams manufactured its products before the brand was handed over to Hindustan Lever Ltd. In 1993, Baskin Robbins, USA, approved of this factory and began producing its products. In addition, this factory since 1996, also manufactures non-dairy toppings under Rich brand in collaboration with Rich Product Corporation, USA. Manufactured out of vegetable oils, these non-dairy toppings are more stable and smoother and do not turn sour like dairy cream. “We are leading the market in this product today,” claims Dange. Well, cold coffee flavour is one among over 1000 recipe formulations of Baskin Robbins, as it keeps adding a flavour of the month to its bank that is distributed through its franchisee outlets located across India. “We also export to Bangladesh, Nepal, Maldives.”

This factory manufactures five lakh litres ice creams per month, under stringent cleaning and hygiene practices. Explaining the importance of achieving desired standards of cleanliness and hygiene, said Dange, largely depended on the infrastructure and layout of the unit.

The main areas of focus before installing the processing equipment in a factory are the flooring, the drainage system, nature of the side walls and layout considering the movement of people, raw material and processed material.

Sturdy floors with appropriate slopes to ensure proper flow of fluids into the drainage system; proper drainage system that can be opened, cleaned and sanitised easily; crevices-free sidewalls either tiled or painted with anti fungal paint; oil-painted ceilings; covered lightings in the manufacturing and storage space; are some of the other points at the layout suggested by Dange.

At the manufacturing end, he added points like proper waterline, source of water, set up of RO plants or UV treatment plants, flush doors, air curtains, fly insectocutors at entry points, screens on every window to obstruct entry of birds or insects and plastic strips between two departments to avoid cross contamination.

The surrounding area of the premises, said Dange, 8-10 feet from the wall of the building should be tarred; no unwanted things should be lying along the periphery of the wall and no weeds growing at least eight feet from the wall of the building.

“Here at the Baskin Robbins unit, we have acid and alkaline proof Mandana flooring which are cleaned using brush & soap; walls in certain places have tiling up to the ceiling and up to seven feet in other areas which are washed regularly using detergent soap and sanitized with QAC (Quatcide) harmless chemicals from JohnsonDiversey.”

Water

The treated MIDC water with around 50ppm to 100ppm hardness is very good, yet water is treated through filtration, de-chlorination and softening systems provided by Aquarius. Daily one lakh litres of water gets filtered. The overhead tanks where water is stored for production, is cleaning with liquid soap every six months by our staff.

Cleaning in Place

Cleaning-in-Place systems form an integral part of the food processing unit. Stainless steel storage tanks, processing vessels and freezers are the three main areas connected to the CIP system. The system is equipped with different compartments to make up chemicals that are circulated through spray balls using high pressure pump. Temperature and the concentration of the solution play an important role in this system of cleaning.

“Visible verification of cleaning levels is also important,” said Dange. “All process tanks storage tanks, pipelines are cleaned twice daily. First thing in the morning, we do a CIP of whatever equipment required and then start the processing. At the end of production day we go for CIP again. Intermittent, in case of requirement, CIP is done. CIP is a part and parcel of a manufacturing facility. We also do swab tests after CIP.”

In order not to miss out lapse in cleaning at any level, there are various procedures adopted. For instance, in ice creaming making there are two stages involved – making mix and making ice cream. First the mix is pasteurised and in the process all the pathogenic bacteria content is removed from where it is taken up for ice cream conversion. There are a number of critical places identified as per HACCP. Samples are drawn from these areas to confirm that everything is right.

Hygiene

Personal hygiene is another area that Baskin Robbins initiated with training of all its 45 workers who have been with this plant for over 12-15 years. Workers have been trained on the importance of personal hygiene, the procedures to be followed and its adverse affects. “On a daily basis there are various controlling systems as personal hygiene is one the most important factors playing a role here as the worker is directly handling the ingredients, the products and the packaging material. Daily bathing, shaven face, cut & clean nails are recorded on a daily basis under various codes. Workers faulting around four times a month are called in by the QA and advised accordingly.”

Workers are provided with fresh laundered clothing, aprons, masks and caps. Hygiene stations equipped with liquid soap, hand sanitizer from JohnsonDiversey and hand dryers are suitably located before entering the processing unit. The foot bath takes away the soil from the shoes. Tissue napkins rolls provided by Pudumjee are provided at every station in place of dusters.

Besides random checks, swab tests of workers’ hands are drawn to check for bacteria levels. Medical check ups are done regularly and workers reporting sick are kept away from the production line.

Raw materials

Raw materials – dairy products, tinned fruits, chocolates, stabilisers, dry fruits, etc. – entering this factory come from approved suppliers and are subjected to stringent tests before being taken up. “Raw material received at the gate is referred to the QA department for approval. It is marked in yellow indicating that it is in the process of approval. This is basically because the micro samples drawn to check for e-coli can be detected only after 24 hours. If rejected it is marked red. If the QA confirms the raw material as acceptable, it is conveyed through GRN, marked green and forwarded to the production line. Rejected material taken away by the vendor.

Baskin Robbins has an effluent treatment plant (ETP) in place. One person is stationed at this plant to organise wet and dry waste which is disposed off or treated daily. “At present we are managing the plant ourselves.”

Pest control

At the plan layout, it is also essential to identify the areas that require, say for example, rodent control or fly control and accordingly the agency should be directed to do the weekly maintenance. Poison baits for rodents should always be outside the factory, glue pads or catchers can be used inside the factory. The chemicals & the agency should be government approved and the dosage should be administered according to the requirement. Pest Terminator, Pune, provides pest control services at Baskin Robbins.

Delivery vans

Hired vehicles carrying the finished products too comply with norms. The QA department inspects the vehicles aspects, temperature and cleaning & sanitation which are done in the presence of the QA officer before loading. The transit form is filled up by the factory detailing all product conditions and the same is endorsed by the receiving location. This ensures safe delivery of the products. Vehicles are also provided with Temperature Data loggers which records temperatures inside the vehicle during transit on road.

Working with ‘Natural’ materials

In ice creams which are made out of fresh milk, fresh fruits and have no preservatives and have a shelf life of 10 days, cleaning is an on going process. ‘Natural’, one of the popular brands, supplied only in Mumbai and Pune, is fast expanding. “We consume around 8000 litres of milk every day which is supplied from Vasai, Thane, to the manufacturing unit in Pune,” said Girish Pai, Factory Manager, Kamath Ourtimes Ice-creams Pvt. Ltd, the manufacturers of Natural brand. The treated milk is transported at below 4oC to the factory and stored in 2000 litre-bulk coolers. “Since our products are made of fresh milk, it is not pasteurised.”

Over a telephonic interview from the factory, Girish said that the Naturals unit too had its CIP systems installed for the milk storage tanks, PHE and ice cream making machine. Alfa Laval ‘Basic’ solution and hot water are fed to the CIP systems for cleaning various equipment once every day.

The major areas that need daily cleaning include fruit storage room, cold room, processing area, marketing area and the outside area. Right from the time the fruits are unloaded, which come from approved vendors, they are cleaned thoroughly with Sanosil Biotech Pvt. Ltd’s hydrogen peroxide solution. Once cleaned they need to be stored at different temperatures; for example, papaya needs dry conditions, some others need humid conditions. Every alternate day, the fruit storage area is cleaned up. “We are in consultation with JohnsonDiversey to improve various cleaning standards.”
The other areas are basically cleaned manually using HCL solution. “As of now, we do not have any mechanised cleaning. We are in the process of procuring scrubber-drier from JohnsonDiversey. Though we have an in house team for housekeeping, with expansion, we are looking at outsourcing options. Further, with manpower crunch, mechanised cleaning is the best option,” he said.

“We also follow standard hygiene practices at the premises. JohnsonDiversey hand wash gel is suitably placed at various locations.” A major part of cleaning is pest control and fumigating all the areas using hydrogen peroxide regularly.

Clean blending and mixing

The 25-km drive on the Pune-Sholapur Road the next day was a refreshing experience. The vineyards and palm groves on either side and the dark clouds above added to the enjoyment.

Located amid these green lushes is one of the production units of the four-decade-old Pravin Masalewale started by the Chordia family way back in 1962. Some 40,000kg of wide varieties of spices, blends & mixes and papads are shipped every day out of the three modern automated plants to around 30 million consumers.

The aroma of freshly ground spices coalesced with the different shades of yellow, red and green masala sprinkled across the floor; ladies clad in caps and aprons busily cleaning raw spices; machines sorting spices; cleaners running dry mops over spillages… gave an instant blend of traditional India in a modern factory.

It was the second shift at the Yawat plant of Pravin Masalawale where basic and blended spices are manufactured.

Heli Laliwala, QA officer at the plant, busy supervising the various cleaning activities, stepped out to explain how they maintained cleanliness and hygiene in keeping with the HACCP, ISO and other standards.

Spread over an area of four acres, the factory is divided into the cleaning & sorting section, processing & grinding section and finally the packaging section. Outside the manufacturing area lay the toilets and the canteen.

The white sanitary-ware in the toilet sparkled having been freshly washed and sanitised with JohnsonDiversey’s SU120 all-purpose (food graded) disinfectant. The toilet is washed at least 10-12 times a day. “We have around four cleaners in the first shift when the production is in full capacity with 200 workers on the line.” This numbers wane to 150 workers in the second shift and around 60 in the third. Similarly, we have four, two and one cleaner in the three shifts respectively, who clean and sanitize the toilets. The toilet is equipped with liquid soaps and hand dryers instead of tissues with neat instructions on hand washing and sanitizing procedures. Proceeding to the sorting section, I could spot PCI’s rodent trap.

Rodent traps are a must being a food processing plant. “But since our factory is elevated, we do not face a problem. As a precaution, we have traps laid outside. We have tied up with Pest Terminator, Pune, for pest control services.”

Similarly, for hand sanitizers, dispensers and hand dryers Pravin has tied up with Technocrats. Hand sanitizers neatly hung at the entry to the sorting section with Technocrats’ insectocutor above. “We are now in the process of obtaining air-curtains from them.”

The message “Wash hand properly for product & personal safety” was written in bold right inside the sorting and cleaning hall. A uniformed worker was busy mopping the floor with a squeegee. “There is a person stationed in all the departments on all the shifts to dry mop that area regularly as we are handling fine spice powder which tends to fly around.” Depending on the kind of spice, it is taken up for cleaning. Most of the raw materials come from quality vendors. “We have been in business since 1962 and have been purchasing from the pest vendors. We get clean stock most of the time. Only seeds like coriander, etc., are fed into the automatic cleaning machines. We have a conveyor belt where cleaning of turmeric takes place, automated machines clean up coriander seeds or cumin seeds. Other raw materials like raw chilli are sorted. Most of the raw materials received get processed immediately. Not much is stored.”

In food processing, utmost care should be taken where hygiene and cleanliness are concerned in stocking raw material. Any kind of negligence could lead to contamination or infestation. Pest control activities keep infestation at bay and spices.

Most of the deep cleaning activities in the processing and grinding section are done on Thursday, being a weekly holiday. Having recently bought the Nilfisk scrubber-drier, it was on a trial run at the Suhana blending plant. “We also have the Taski machines.” Usually, in the third shift the entire area is taken up for scrubbing, vacuuming and blowing. The production equipment too is vacuumed and blow dried. Mixing machines are washed with high pressure jets. “We have one of Bosch at present and have placed an order with Nilfisk, Laliwala informed.

“Basically, workers do not handle the material as we have an automated system. The materials are fed and the finished product gets collected, which is then packed.”

The high ceiling at the processing unit is cleaned every quarter by the workmen of an external agency who go up the ladders with their back packs.

For the last seven years, a local housekeeping company, has been maintaining the premises under close supervision of the QA Department. Around 21 janitors work in the housekeeping.

Regular micro biological tests are conducted to ensure there are no contaminants in the air or the product. “We always try to improvise on our detergents and disinfectants for better results of hygiene. Fumigation is also done depending on the need.”

With various awards in its bag, Pravin Masalawale strives for 100% cleanliness at all its units. “We recently underwent auditing of the Spice Board last month. We have also received several awards, including the Rajiv Gandhi National Quality Award from Bureau of Indian Standards-2006, CII-Exim Bank Award for Business Excellence 2008 and ISO 22000: 2005 certification since 2007.