From producer to consumer: MHP explains how they control food quality

Chicken is the most widely consumed type of meat in Ukraine. The product is popular due to its taste, nutritional properties and price compared to other types of meat. MHP is the largest producer of chicken in Ukraine. MHP's approach to quality can be described as "from grain to plate". This means careful control at every stage of production - from obtaining grain for feed to the conditions under which finished products are sold in stores. Read how this system works in UNN's article .

Details 

At all MHP enterprises, careful control of each stage of production is carried out, which allows ensuring the highest quality of products and compliance with established quality and safety standards. This is done by Quality Control departments, the total number of specialists is more than 300 people.

Lyudmyla Shevchuk, Head of MHP's Quality Control Department, and Iryna Kolodyazhna, Head of MHP's Quality Management and Certification Department, spoke about what the company does to ensure that its products are of high quality.

Lyudmyla Shevchuk 

Irina Kolodyazhnaya

We move from the egg in the incubator to the shelf in the store.

Stage: egg in the incubator

Chickens are born at hatchery and poultry stations. There are huge incubation machines and hatchers. In the latter, they hatch directly from the egg. The whole process takes 21 days.

Most processes in incubators and hatchers are automated. This avoids errors due to human error. All indicators, including the constant temperature of 24°C-26°C, are controlled by the program. On the control panel, specialists can see all the information for each installation. If there is a violation somewhere, an alarm goes off and they quickly intervene

Stage: cultivation

The chickens are raised in poultry houses, large one-story elongated buildings. At the age of one day, they are delivered to the poultry houses in a special transport, completely closed and temperature-controlled. 

The poultry houses are closed. This is necessary to control the microclimate inside, because at +35°C or -20°C outside the window, the chickens would have a hard time. The automated system also does this: it monitors the temperature and gas environment and signals any changes. 

The conditions and condition of poultry at production sites are monitored by a leading veterinarian at least four times during the growing period.

Stage: production

At the production site, quality is taken care of just as carefully. To monitor cleanliness, the laboratory staff conducts tests, including handwashing before and during work, and rinsing off workwear to make sure it is clean. 

In addition, there are other additional tests in production. For example, special equipment is used to additionally check the fillets to avoid the presence of bones or cartilage.

All packaged products at the enterprises are checked with a metal detector to exclude the possibility of detecting metal in the finished product.

Stage: transportation and storage

From the enterprise to the point of sale, chicken and modified products (cutlets, sausages, meatballs) are transported in special refrigerated trucks, which must be washed and disinfected before loading products. The equipment inside maintains the desired temperature: no higher than -18°C or from 0°c to +4°C – depending on whether frozen or chilled food is being transported.

In general, the product journey - from of the enterprise through the distribution center to the point of sale - takes a maximum of one and a half days. This means that the products are not delayed in warehouses.

Stage: store

Together with its partners, MHP is developing several chains that include nearly 1,500 outlets. These include Nasha Ryaba, Ezha Svezha, and Myasomarket stores, as well as the Döner Market chain of safe fast food outlets. For example, MHP, as a supplier, provides 70% of the range of products and raw materials for its stores. The best chefs in the country who work for the company develop recipes and prepare the dishes.

Control at outlets is based on HACCP (Hazard Analysis, Critical Control Point and Critical Control Point) principles. When the products are brought to the store, they are checked: documents, appearance, transportation temperature, product temperature, packaging, labeling, and expiration date.

All of these stages are mandatory for a manufacturing company that offers high-quality and safe products to consumers. Therefore, one of the main tasks of MHP as a culinary company is to keep quality and safety in focus. The company adheres to the principle of "from grain to plate" and controls quality from the receipt of grain for feed and eggs laid in the hatchery to the conditions in which the finished products are sold in stores.