Fully automatic bakery process enhances food safety, says CPF
CHAROEN Pokphand Foods has introduced a fully automatic bun-making process with advanced technology limiting hand contact. This emphasises that CPF is a leading company for quality and food safety, it says.
Virachai Ratanabanchuen, chief operating officer of CPF, said the food-processing plant in Bang Nam Prieo district, Chachoengsao province, had recently received Codex Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) and Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) certifications from SGS (Thailand), an inspection, verification and testing company.
Obtaining GMP and HACCP certifications shows CPF’s strong determination to elevating its processes to meet global food hygiene and safety standards, the company says. It is also a part of the CPF quality policy for delivering the same levels of quality and safety wherever it operates in the world.
CPF spent Bt650 million to establish the bakery plant with closed operating systems promoted by the Board of Investment. Opened last year, the plant is equipped with high-technology machinery and equipment linked using SCADA (supervisory control and data acquisition) software.
Equipment includes a real-time infrared thermometer for monitoring product temperature with data available online and a visual inspector called Smart QC for quality control.
The baked-goods plant is capable of producing up to 480,000 pieces a day, mainly hamburger and hotdog buns. They are then delivered to CPF processing plants for making CP ready-to-eat products.
“To be transformed to ‘Thailand 4.0’, CPF has promoted multitasking skills for employees,” Virachai said. “As efficiency has increased, our bakery plant employs only 32 staff, while more than 100 are required for other similar plants.
“For example, each engineer is able to perform various duties [such as] production, equipment maintenance and quality control at the same time. It is facilitated by the design and installation of equipment and software to make the process automatic and continuous with a very limited hand contact.”
The plant uses the HACCP system to identify critical control points (CCPs) to produce safe food for consumers. An HACCP team analyses CCPs at every step from raw materials, processing to distribution.
The success of receiving Codex GMP and HACCP certification throughout the CPF value chain illustrates its capability of producing high-quality and safe food to meet global standards, the company says.
