3.3    Quality commitment  and points to evaluate

To organize an in-plant quality control programme, an overview of the total operation is the primary consideration and the development of a quality control manual is logical first step as a useful guide to action. As an employee training tool and as a reference for all cattle feed plant’s (CFP) personnel, typical quality control manuals will usually have the following:

•         An index or outline of content.

•         A statement of the CFP’s quality control philosophy.

•         In-plant quality control supervisory and operator duties and responsibilities.

•         Sampling practices and procedures for ingredients and finished products.

•         A suggested ingredient assay schedule.

•         Laboratory report including interpretation as to their use.

•         Regulation and compliance (Good Manufacturing Practices).

•         Production record keeping and procedures.

•         Package weight control, labelling and coding.

•         Complaint procedures.

•         Product recall procedures.

•         Rework material guidelines.

•         Housekeeping (sanitation) requirements.

•         Ingredient purchasing specifications.

•         Warehousing and pest control practices.

•         Shelf-life and finished product turnover standards.

•         Guidelines for medicated feed manufacturing and handling.

•         Plant formula guidelines/standard operating practices for  handling of new and old formula.

•         Employee training in quality control.

•         In-process sampling, testing method and test equipment for particle size reduction, batching and mixing, pellet quality etc.

•         Maintenance practices and responsibilities.

•         Assignment of  one  person for  total  coordination  of  the  programme.  The person should be given clear authority to articulate conditions and problems to management and should not be restricted in that by purchasing, production,  sales or any other person or function.

•         All plant personnel, including delivery personnel should be involved in the programme and trained to perform individual quality control duties.

•         All quality control stations-receiving; the various processing locations such as grinding, mixing, pelleting and others should be provided with the necessary test equipment, forms for recording test results, sample bags and other supplies.

•         Periodic,  routine  compliance  inspections  should  be  conducted  by  appropriate management personnel using checklist to ascertain that the CFP’s quality commitment standard are being met and the results of those inspections should be shared with all levels of management as well as with plant’s  employees.