Question :

KVC is situated about 50 km out of Vacoas. It produces organic jams, chutneys, juices, purees etc. and exports to African countries under the label "Legends". It also supplies the local municipal markets with chillies, tomatoes, chilli sauce, and tomato chutneys. KVC was established in 1969 and the processing machinery comes from the UK and Germany. It can only be cleaned with hot water - chemicals cannot be used because of the products being organic. The factory employs 50 people (35 women/15 men) who work 8 hours a day, 6 days a week. They earn about Rs 150/day and have a refresher training once a month.

Production
1 kilo of raw tomatoes makes 300g of paste. The tomatoes are blanched for 5 minutes in boiling water. After blanching they are put through a blender, and using a muslin cloth, the pulp and juice are separated by hanging for one hour. During processing the tomato into paste, KVC only used the tomato juice and threw the fibers and pulp away as it was considered to be a waste product. 2000 x 385g bottles of tomatoes puree are produced each day; 2000 jars of tomatoes paste are made each day. It takes 16 days for the product to be delivered from the factory to the shelf. Shelf life is 10 months and products can be kept for 2 weeks in a refrigerator once they have been opened.

a) Based on this case study, describe the different hygienic practices with respect to personal hygiene, pest control and cleaning that must be applied in the KVC plant?

b) It is shown that the personnel are trained once a month. What basic topics of Good Hygienic Practices should the personnel of KVC be made aware of?

c) Briefly explain the required layout and design of the food processing plant.

d) What are the needs that need to be implemented to ensure proper waste disposal in the KVC plant?