Waste Management System
Environmental standards are strictly followed in packing materials and food additives. A waste management system is adopted to segregate and dispose off the kitchen waste. Says A R Shine, Director, Envac Environmental Technology (P) Ltd, “The state of the art facility at Oberoi Flight Catering, T3, New Delhi Indira Gandhi International Airport is the most modern flight catering facility in India installed with an Envac Automated waste system. It collects waste from ware wash, dish wash and food preparation areas as well. The system is fully equipped with trash chute in benches, trash chutes located in the food prep areas, customs bonded warehouse and the conveyor systems receiving the food trays from the aircraft.”
A microbiology wing oversees the in flight prep kitchens. Samples of cooked and served meals are regularly collected and tested for quality and consistency. HACCP monitors and certifies the quality and safety regulations in the kitchens. Food safety regulations insist that wastages in preparations be destroyed and discarded.
Cleaning Schedule
“We follow a strict cleaning, monitoring and record keeping schedule. Broadly divided into two ways: To maintain cleanliness of contact surfaces, we have a daily cleaning schedule and a checklist maintained. As a routine, there is a visual check on cleanliness done at least four times during the day. On a weekly basis, the QA executive verifies the records. Besides this, the QC staff conduct swab tests to check the microbial levels of the contact surfaces and an analysis record is maintained which is again verified at the end of the week by the QA manager. A team of 25 are engaged in cleaning round the clock,” explained Rajan.
Prevent Cross Contamination
Prevention of cross-contamination includes insanitary objects to food, food packaging material, and other food contact surfaces, including utensils, gloves, and outer garments; and from raw product to cooked product.
“The entire layout of CAFS is unidirectional and ensures complete isolation of finished product from raw materials. The facility is designed for ease in cleaning, sanitation, and traffic control.“Plant grounds are in a condition that protects against contamination of food. Waste is collected in blue colour waste bins lined with black colour polythene cover and is removed from processing areas at definite intervals. Raw-product processing and cooked-product processing areas are separated. Drip or condensate does not contaminate food or packaging materials. Safety-type light fixtures are used in processing and packaging areas. Coolers, including the evaporators, are cleaned periodically. Nonfoodcontact surfaces in processing and packaging areas are cleaned daily at the end of the shift. Raw and cooked products are physically separated in coolers. Packaging materials are protected from contamination during storage.”Cleaning equipment are dedicated for each area. Production staff are given basic food sanitation training. Workers wear clean uniform, caps, mask and do not wear jewelry or other objects that might fall into the product, equipment, or containers. Workers wear disposable gloves and replace them as needed; wash their hands and gloves thoroughly and sanitize them before starting work or after each absence from their workstation; and anytime they have become soiled or contaminated clothing and personal belongings are not stored in production areas. Workers are not allowed to eat food, chew gum, drink beverages, or use tobacco in production areas. Hand cleaning and sanitizing stations are provided in each and every section.
