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PACKING
Quality Control
The Jersey Royal Company ensures that all our potatoes reach the packhouse within 1 hour of harvest.
On arrival at the packhouse a 100 tuber sample is taken from each load and assessed for any defects such as disease, pest damage, mechanical damage, greening or other more minor defects. All our Quality Controllers are fully qualified in identifying these defects and they also have photographic images to help ensure that they can apply a similar judgment throughout the season. Each defect is scored using a two point system with severe defects incurring two defect points whist a minor defect will incur only one defect point. The scores are added together and a decision is then taken as to whether these potatoes are accepted or rejected. Further quality assessments are made after size grading and finally a Positive Release system ensures that retail packs go through a final check prior to shipment.
We also undertake regular benchmarking tests to compare our product sold in each of the supermarkets and shops that we supply as well as routine taste tests. The company has a trained panel of “taste testers” who can identify different taste components such as sweetness or bitterness as well as textural attributes.
Quality Assurance
The Jersey Royal Company operates a quality assurance system which ensures that potatoes are of the highest food safety and food quality. A full traceability system is in operation allowing each unit produced to be traced back to the field of origin. Full records are kept to ensure that these standards are maintained and are fully auditable. Systems are in place to ensure, as far as is practicably possible, that potatoes produced are free of any contaminants and residues.
Cooling
Cooling reduces the degradation of the tuber and so prolongs shelf-life. Each load is stored for a short period in purpose built rapid air coolers to remove the field heat from the crop. Temperatures are reduced to below 15ºC prior to grading. It takes around 12-24 hours to reduce temperatures by some 10ºC.
Following the size grading, washing and inspection process the packed products are placed in holding cold stores prior to dispatch from the Island in refrigerated transport.
Grading
The whole crop is removed from the cooler and graded over rotating screens into various sizes. These screens are interchangeable to allow a variety of size grades.
The graders are equipped with roller inspection tables which turn each tuber through 360º to allow staff to see all around the tuber and remove defects as necessary. The three graders are manned by up to 120 staff with an output of some 30-45 tonnes per hour. A range of packaging types are available from bulk bags through to final retail packs.
The range includes:
- 330g – 1kg retail packs
- 5kg paper sacks
- 6kg cardboard kegs
- 10kg paper sacks
- 15kg paper sacks
- 20kg paper sacks
- 20kg returnable trays
- 1 tonne bulk bags
Significant investment in packing facilities has enabled more product to be washed & packed at source improving product quality further and increasing shelf life of packed product.
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