David Smith, L00090777 Food Science & Nutrition: Industrial Placement Report, 2013

Introduction:
Industrial Placement carried out by myself, was done so between the dates; June 4
th
to June
August 31
st
2012. Summers work experience in Food Quality Control was completed in
Manor Farm Chicken Food Plant.
Carton Brothers is the name of the company that produce Manor Farm chicken. It is one of
the oldest family companies in the country and dates back to 1775 when it was first born in
the very heart of trading in the Dublin Markets. Originally in those heady days over 200
years ago chickens would be brought from the farmyards all around the country to the
Dublin Markets and Carton's would sell them on. As the years passed Carton Brother grew
substantially as a company and were one of the largest traders in the country. 1956 Carton
Brothers introduced the chicken as we now know it today into Ireland. The original factory
for the company was in the heart of Dublin located in the Market area but moved in 1970 to
a custom built factory in the heart of Cavan at a small village called Shercock.

Manor Farm Factory, 2012

The company is now in the 8th generation of the Carton family with Vincent Carton
currently Managing Director. The company employs 650 people directly, contracts a further
150 farmers and gives indirect employment to many more throughout the 26 counties.
Carton Brothers is also committed to the Love Irish Food campaign will guarantee the
consumer that Irish products are kept on the shelves and will keep jobs in Ireland. Manor
Farm with its unique plant number IE 803 EC - has one of the most modern processing
facilities in Europe producing up to 600,000 birds per week at its home in the heart of Co.
Cavan. The company supplies its Irish customers from all the major supermarkets, your local
stores and butchers as well as for sale abroad. It also retains total control over all stages of
the chicken production process - all here in Ireland. The production plant at Shercock has
recently completed a major 13m overhaul and is now one of the most modern and
David Smith, L00090777 Food Science & Nutrition: Industrial Placement Report, 2013

sophisticated in Europe. Consistent within Carton Brothers at all times is dedication to
Quality and the production of unique and very tasty chicken products from the best chicken
that we ourselves produce (ManorFarm, 2013).

Carton Brothers prides itself on the number of Awards consistently achieved down the years
and continues to invest heavily in quality assurance through its highly trained quality
assurance personnel and quality systems.
Manor Farms Awards include:
Overall National Hygiene & Food Safety Winner 2008
ISO 22000 first poultry plant in Ireland to get this accreditation
ISO 9001 2000
B.R.C. issue 4 higher level
Bord Ba quality assurance scheme on farm and processing (1st chicken company in
Ireland to be accredited)
Quality mark
Hygiene Mark
Winner of the supreme hygiene award within the poultry category on numerous
occasions (Love Irish Food, 2013)

Placement:
Health & Safety
Before placement began, a Health and Safety course had to be carried out. This is a
requirement of all employees and work experience participants, but was especially vital as
the work experience being entered in was that of Quality Control.
The course involved:
Health &Safety Legislation
Plant Hazards
Plant Safety Rules
First Aid Facilities
Accident/Incident Reporting
The aim of the safety module was to increase awareness of the potential hazards
throughout the plant thus ensuring personnel are better equipped to carry out you role
safely and without posing threat to others. It also covered the Safety, Health and Welfare at
Work Act of 2005. The duties of employees were outlined as maintaining/completing as
necessary;
David Smith, L00090777 Food Science & Nutrition: Industrial Placement Report, 2013


A Safe Place of Work
Safe Means of Access & Egress
Safe Plant & Machinery
Safe Systems of Work
Protective Clothing (PPE)
Information / Instruction / Training
Ongoing Supervision
Safety Statement
Safety Committee (Recommended)
The Employees Responsibilities Act of 2005 was discussed as well. These were listed as;
Comply with Legislation
Ensure they are not under the influence of any intoxicant.
To co-operate with employer
Not to engage in any improper conduct.
Participate in Health & Safety training offered by the employer
Not to misuse equipment
Report known defects to quality personnel.
Under the Plant Hazards section of presentation, the following were discussed: Movement
of Vehicles, Manual Handling, Slips, Trips & Falls, Fire & Explosion, Electrical Safety, Noise,
Machinery and Knives.
The Plant Safety Rules were covered:
All accidents must be reported to your immediate supervisor or manager
No running, climbing or horseplay is permitted on the grounds
Before operating machinery, please ensure all safety guards are in place, emergency
stop buttons and interlocking systems are working
When using chemicals, power tools, hammers etc, eye protection must be worn
Adhere to manual handling techniques for all lifts:
Observe fire alarms and no smoking policy
Do not place your hands near moving machine parts.
Do not wear lose fitting garments or articles that may become entangled in machinery
Housekeeping Keep your work area tidy. Clear all spillages, keep walkways clear and
remove trip hazards
Never direct compressed air at yourself or others.
Familiarise yourself with your nearest fire exit
Protective clothing Wear all PPE in the correct manner
David Smith, L00090777 Food Science & Nutrition: Industrial Placement Report, 2013

The location of all first aid boxes was also shown as well as the trained first aid staff were
made known. Finally the companys Environmental Policy was discussed. Manor Farm has
an IPPC License. The aim of this license is to reduce emissions to air, water and land, to
reduce waste, and use energy and resources efficiently. As a member of Repak, the
company strives to use packaging which is less harmful to the environment.
Work Experience:
Following the completing of the Health and Safety course, a tour of the plant was carried
out. A complete impression of the entire process of product production was gained.
The Factory consists of the following two floors:
Floor 1:
Security Hunt
Main Staff/ Visitor Car Park
Reception
Male & Female Changing Rooms
Canteen
Loading Bay
Misc. Offices
Maintenance Workshop
Delivery Bay
Killing Room
Packaging 1
Cold Store
Boning Room
Truck Loading/ Delivery Track
Effluent Processing Plant

Floor 2:
QC. Offices
Microbiological Laboratory
Product Development
Value Added
Packaging 2

The majority of work placement carried out, was done on the Value Added production area
on the second floor. Here chicken products are produced with addition of marinate,
seasoning, vegetables ect. From a quality point of view, a normal day entails; Hygiene
Checks, Allergen Control, Traceability, Product Weight Control, Metal Control, Product Label
Verification, Temperature Control, Micro-Sampling, and the necessary paperwork that
David Smith, L00090777 Food Science & Nutrition: Industrial Placement Report, 2013

accompanies these measures. All measures taken are done in accordance and to keep
certification of Food Safety Standards and Systems such as BRC Global Standards and ISO
22000.
The Value Added production area itself is made up of; an Entrance lobby, the Main
Production Floor with accompanying packing lines & tables, a Chilled room for storing
products & raw material prior to use, Ingredient rooms, and a Crate Wash area.
A typical Hygiene check involves, walking around Value Added, inspecting all vicinities. Items
of concern are: product location, if personnel wearing PPE (Personal protective equipment)
correctly, cleanness, Ingredient Bin condition, Operational Status of Wash Stations and their
water temperature, Sterilizers temperature, etc. The following spec sheet was to be filled
out whilst carrying out the inspection:

David Smith, L00090777 Food Science & Nutrition: Industrial Placement Report, 2013

Allergen Control is a hugely important Quality requirement. This is done by secretion
of each allergen marinate additives. The ingredients room which stores these additives, is
laid out with; Gluten, Gluten & SO2, Mustard & Gluten, Soya & Gluten, Celery & Gluten, Egg
& Milk, and an Allergen Free area. It must be constantly monitored to ensure it is being
implemented at all times. Each ingredient is kept in a Bin, which is labelled for identification,
and contains a scoop for removal of additive when needed. Each scoop is numbered on
direct correlation to each bin, ie- Scoop 1 stored in Bin 1. Typically throughout the day the
bins are checked to make sure they are placed back in the correct allergen zone and the
scoop for each bin is kept in respected bin also.

Ingredients Room, showing the separation of allergens.

Ingredient Room Floor Plan showing the separation of allergens.
David Smith, L00090777 Food Science & Nutrition: Industrial Placement Report, 2013

Manor Farm can trace all raw material product lots, including packaging, from suppliers
through all stages of processing and despatch to their customer and vice versa.
The company operates a system to identify and trace product lots and follow this through all
raw materials, including primary and any other relevant packaging materials and processing
aids, all stages of processing and the distribution of the finished product to the customer in
a timely manner.
Records allow product to be traced back to raw materials and vice versa. This includes
quantity checks/mass balance. Finished product labelling forms the basis for successful
traceability. All materials used in traceability (raw, packaging, process aids) are identified
correctly to allow for traceability on the respective log sheets.
Traceability is in place through use of;
Grower (Farmer) Names and/or Codes,
Barcodes,
QR Codes,
Expiry Dates,
Display Till Dates,
EEC Numbers,
Julian Dates,
Times of Production
Product Details (Name, Retailer ect.) & Product Code

The Main traceability code used is the Grower Name and/or Code.
All products from pre-production, during; production, during packing, after packing and raw
materials have a combination of these measures printed on them.
On production floors, in stores ect., products and materials have colour coded cards. The
quality staff attach these throughout the day. Each colour represents a day of the week, and
therefore an age to the product/raw material. The Trace Cards contain the following
identification: Time, Date, Quanity, Size, Product Code, and the Grower Code.

David Smith, L00090777 Food Science & Nutrition: Industrial Placement Report, 2013



David Smith, L00090777 Food Science & Nutrition: Industrial Placement Report, 2013

Below is an example of the specification sheet filled in to verify that the correct information
is on each product label. On a typical day hundreds of these sheets are filled out. If a
mistake is spotted, for example the wrong use by date, the product must be relabelled with
correct information.

David Smith, L00090777 Food Science & Nutrition: Industrial Placement Report, 2013

The Quality team throughout the day; take measures to ensure Product Weight Control is
kept in place at all times. As a product is being prepared, five random samples of the
finished product are weighed and compared to the actual Minimum and Maximum values. If
outside the required limits, further action is taken. The below spec sheet is filled out during
these checks.

David Smith, L00090777 Food Science & Nutrition: Industrial Placement Report, 2013

Metal Control is another important quality aspect that must be monitored. When a finished
product is placed on packing line with the destination of loading bay, it must pass through a
metal detector. These are made up of a metal sensor, a siren, a coloured flashing light
(which light up when metal is detected) and a rod which will push products into a holding
bin when metal is detected. Every hour the metal detectors on each line are checked that
they continuously operational. This is done by sending through products which have ferrous,
non-ferrous and stainless steel pieces in them. An operation metal detector should be
alerted to these checks. Factory approved pens and first aid plasters (which contain metal
are also tested on a regular basis.

Metal Detector and the metal pieces used in testing.












David Smith, L00090777 Food Science & Nutrition: Industrial Placement Report, 2013

The below spec sheet is filled out during these checks.

David Smith, L00090777 Food Science & Nutrition: Industrial Placement Report, 2013

As the products produced are from chicken which is a perishable material, Temperature
Control must be maintained at all times. Therefore the cold conditions must be monitored
frequently at all areas of the food production and transport points.

David Smith, L00090777 Food Science & Nutrition: Industrial Placement Report, 2013

Microbiology testing is carried daily on various products. This is done by the micro staff. The
quality team collect the samples required for testing. Among the pathogenic bacteria which
are tested for include; E.coli, Salmonella, Listeria, Clostridium, ect.
Samples may also be collected for shelf life extensions and sensory analysis testing for
product development.
All of the quality checks must be accompanied with the necessary paperwork. All measures
taken are done in accordance and to keep certification of Food Safety Standards and
Systems such as BRC Global Standards and ISO 22000. Each customer have their own
standards that the quality team must make sure are adhered to.
The Industrial Placement carried out by myself, was done so between the dates; June 4
th
to
June 29
th
2012 in Manor Farm Chicken Food Plant. A months work experience in Food
Quality Control was gained, as well as a summer job which was reprised in summer 2013. As
well as the employment, valued contacts and referenced was also acquired.

Bibliography:
Farm, M. (2013). Chicken.ie . Retrieved from Manor Farm: About Us:
http://www.chicken.ie/carton-brothers-manor-farm-about-us.82.html
Food, L. I. (2013). Manor Farm. Retrieved from Love Irish Food.ie :
http://www.loveirishfood.ie/brands/manor-farm/