In
the Mac zone
In
conversation with Shuchi Srivastava, SD Saravan, Quality Assurance Manager,
McDonald's India, outlines the key criteria for sourcing processed chicken
and vegetables
Since
how long has McDonald’s made its presence felt in India now?
We
started our first restaurant in October 1996. We were exploring the
possibility of establishing a supply-chain in India for almost 5-51/2
years before we formally began operations. International product specialists
(agricultural, meat, and liquid) were constantly visiting India in order
to establish the validity of this venture by identifying the availability
and capability of raw materials. In the process they were also identifying
the nature of quality standards, equipment capability and the skill-sets
of the human resource available in India.
We
would like to narrow the focus of this discussion to the internal and
external criteria that McDonald’s expects from vendors supplying processed
chicken and vegetables.
We
intrinsically work with our local and global suppliers in India. Vista
Foods is an international company, which has a joint venture with OSI
International who supplies meat products to McDonald’s globally; they
have close to 38-40 plants all over the globe to fulfill the particular
needs of McDonald’s. In fact, now, both McDonald’s India and OSI International
have an equal stake in Vista.
Vista
takes care of the entire supply of our vegetable and chicken patties
except fish patties, which is supplied by Amalgam Foods, Cochin. For
Mumbai, Vista also utilises its facilities for the processing of lettuce,
which a variety of producers supply directly to its processing units.
If
we look at the processing of lettuce what are the various Critical Control
Points (CCP) through which contamination could occur?
Before
the entry of McDonald’s in India, lettuce was largely imported. Due
to the fact that domestically there was a lack of demand, there were
hardly any volumes and it was considered a difficult crop to grow. There
was a total vacuum as far as the availability of seeds and adequate
technological know-how was concerned.
For
the initial 5-6 years referred to before, McDonald’s worked diligently
with suppliers to establish the very basics, like proper growing conditions
as it is a temperate crop and grows well in winters, but in summers
and monsoons it is a tough crop to grow especially with temperatures
peaking at 42ºC in places like Pune.
Now, in fact we have been successful in growing lettuce almost all-round
the year as we have invested time, effort, energy and technology transfers
which has benefited our suppliers and in the long run made the operation
of a crucial area of our supply chain run seamlessly. The next step
was to tackle the traditional modes of packaging vegetables that exist
in India, like bamboo baskets and gunny bags.
Now
if you see, our presence has engendered the use of carton boxes to maintain
the overall shape, freshness and to avoid any contamination. We were
up against the fact that as a norm, the processing of lettuce was undertaken
in the kitchens of five-star properties. Now we have managed to identify
vendors that own plants where temperatures are controlled accurately
between 8°C and 4°C. These units possess equipment that is sanitised,
the water used is chlorinated and the personnel are trained to maintain
hygiene in both the areas of personal and material handling.
Immediately after harvest Trikaya Agriculture, a firm that oversees
the growing of lettuce, ensures that the labour employed, is in the
fields by 7 am in order to harvest the lettuce at a relatively cooler
temperature. As opposed to later in the day when high temperatures distort
the internal temperature of the lettuce. At lower temperatures lettuce
is able to hold water more effectively, thereby maintaining an internal
temperature that is cool and in turn capable of a longer shelf life.
Eventually,
after being through the pre-cooler and the cold room where it is packed,
the lettuce is transported to the processing facility in refrigerated
trucks where the internal temperature is maintained between 1-4°C.
Do
you have consultants carrying out regular quality checks on your behalf
or do you also indulge in these yourselves?
What
we have in our favour is that we have worked with our suppliers for
years and now they are trained and are fully compliant with our standard
specifications....
contd.....
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