Environmental Controls

It is a mandatory requirement all entrants to the Food Production Unit understand and abide by all of FERA LTD Policies & Procedures.

DOCUMENT NAME	1.5 Process, Environment & Control
Document Reference Number	1.5
Document Sub-Sections	1.5a Process, Environment And Equipment Control 1.5.1b Staff Training Records For Product Specifications And Process Controls 1.5.2a Documented Environmental Controls To Ensure Facility Maintains Integrity Of Raw Materials Through To Completed Product 1.5.3a Procedures To Activate In Case Of Equipment Failure 1.5.4a Environment Monitoring Device Calibration 1.5.5a Metal Control Procedures 1.5.6a Procedures For Quantity Control And Ensuring Weights And Measures Comply With Legislative Measures 1.5.6b Minimum System 1.5.6c Labelling Goods With Respect To Product Weights Or Measurements 1.5.6d Staff Training Relating To Product Weights And Measures
Issue Number	1.0
Issue Date:	05/01/2024
Last Reviewed Date	05/01/2024
Reviewed by	Board of Directors
Next Review Date	Annualised 05/01/2025 (Earlier if any significant changes made or required).
Responsible Officer(s)	Board of Directors
Distribution	Accessible and distributed to all staff Accessible via FERA intranet or available upon request.
Storage	Stored on the intranet.
Document Control	Uncontrolled Copy Unless Printed on Yellow Signed Paper or accessed on intranet.
Amendments with date of amendment.	Nil
Document Notes	Nil
Intranet Link	1.5 Map(Process,Environ & Equip) \| INTRANET I Fera
Authorised by	Adeel Iqbal

1.5a PROCESS, ENVIRONMENT AND EQUIPMENT CONTROL

Documented process control are monitored to ensure product consistency and compliance wih product specifications. Staff are trained about each product, its specifications and processes to ensure consistently high quality products.

Product Specifications and Process Controls	Click to view specifications and processes.
Nut Filled Medjools Half Dipped in Luxury Belgian Milk Chocolate
Luxury Chocolate Walnuts
Luxury Chocolate Pistachios
Nuts Selection Box

1.5.1b STAFF TRAINING RECORDS FOR PRODUCT SPECIFICATIONS AND PROCESS CONTROLS

Staff are trained in product specifications and process controls to ensure the manufacture of consistent high quality products compliant with product specifications. Records of training are kept in staff portfolios. click here to view.

1.5.2a DOCUMENTED ENVIRONMENTAL CONTROLS TO ENSURE FACILITY MAINTAINS INTEGRITY OF RAW MATERIALS THROUGH TO COMPLETED PRODUCT

Chocolate Environmental Controls
Fluidity	Why is fluidity so important? The fluidity of your chocolate determines the thickness of the shell and the snap of your chocolate products: the more fluid your chocolate, the thinner and crunchier your shell will be. Using chocolate with the right fluidity also saves time: you can cast large moulds in one go with less fluid chocolate.
Pre-Crystallisation	Why is it so important to pre-crystallise chocolate properly? It helps chocolate harden, and gives it a beautiful satin gloss and a delicious snap. It makes chocolate contract during cooling, which makes it easier to unmould. Badly crystallised or uncrystallised chocolate will turn grey and won’t have an appetising gloss.
Tempering / Pre-Crystallising	What is tempering or pre-crystallising? The purpose of tempering chocolate is to pre-crystallise the cocoa butter in it, which is important to make your chocolate ready for processing. During tempering, the cocoa butter in the chocolate takes on a stable crystalline form. This guarantees a perfect finished product with a satin gloss and a hard snap. It also makes the chocolate contract during cooling, which makes it easier to unmould. If chocolate is simply melted (between 40 and 45 °C) and then left to cool down to a suitable working temperature, the finished product will not be glossy. If you make the small effort of bringing your chocolate to the right working temperature properly, you are guaranteed to get the desired end result. And that’s what we mean by tempering: bringing chocolate up to the right working temperature while making sure that the crystalline structure of the cocoa butter in it is stable.

Tempering with Callets™

Pre-crystallisation is very easy if you add chocolate that has already been tempered to your melted chocolate. The cocoa butter in these small drops of tempered chocolate already has the right crystalline structure. When added to melted chocolate it prompts the chain reaction resulting into properly crystallized chocolate. The required quantity of Callets™ depends on the temperature of both your melted chocolate and the Callets™. When your melted chocolate is at a temperature of about 40°C, the rule of thumb is to add 5% Callets™ at ambient temperature (i.e. between 15 and 20°C).

Step 1	Melt your chocolate in a chocolate melter (turn the thermostat up to 45 °C).
Step 2	Lower the thermostat (to ± 31°C for dark chocolate or to ± 29°C for milk chocolate and white chocolate) and immediately add 5% Callets™ at ambient temperature.
Step 3	Stir the chocolate well to mix in the stable crystals of the Callets™ thoroughly and evenly. Do the Callets™ melt too quickly? That means your chocolate is still too hot. Add more Callets™ to lower its temperature and continue stirring.
Step 4	You’ll obtain a slightly thickened chocolate, which is ready and workable.

TEMPERING WITH FBM PROXIMA MACHINE

Step 1	Insert callets - fill bowl
Step 2	Turn machine on and turn melting temperature to 50C
Step 3	Once chocolate melted turn stirrer on
Step 4	Turn on tempering pump and set tempering temperature to 29C

CHOCOLATE COOLING

The Chocolate Fridge is specifically made for the cooling and storage of chocolate. The advanced electronic control system in chocolate fridges allows great control over the setting of both the temperature and the relative humidity.

Place chocolate at temperatures between 10°/18°C and a maximum humidity of 40%-60%, these are the optimal conditions for the correct cooling and storage of your creations.

By creating the perfect environment with a specialised chocolate fridge and well-tempered chocolate, you will avoid sugar or fat blooms on the surface of your product, ensuring the finest quality and taste.

Chocolate Fridge Cooling Temperature	8-10 Degrees Celcius
Chocolate Fridge Cooling Humidity	40% to 65%

CHOCOLATE ROOM HUMIDITY CONTROLS

Ensure the humidity of the Chocolate Room is kept at between 40-60% to pevent water and vapour entering the chocolate which will result in a quality issue and lead to chocolate bloom. Use wall monitors to monitor the humidity, if humidity increases beyond 65%, pause chocolate work, use the dehumdifier and continue once humdity is back to acceptable limits.

1.5.3a PROCEDURES TO ACTIVATE IN CASE OF EQUIPMENT FAILURE

FERA implements a planned maintenance programme to ensure the entire production unit is kept in good order at all times. This helps to ensure that food safety remains the overarching priority. The planned maintenance programme is particularly important for items that are critical to safety and legality of our product.

Click here to view procedures in case of each equipment failure

EquipmentMaintenanceBreakdown (fera.london )

1.5.4a ENVIRONMENT MONITORING DEVICE CALIBRATION

Key devices used for the legality and food safety of product include temperature probes and weighing scales. These are calibrated and certificates are held on site.

Device	Calibration Record
Temperature Probe
Humidity Sensor Calibration
FBM Proxima Machine

1.5.5a METAL CONTROL PROCEDURES

FERA exercises strict control over metal objectives including but not limited to sharps, knives, scissors, blades and other foreign bodies.

The metal register is reviewed and during opening checks the condition and quantity of metal items are examined and recorded (view housekeeping checklist here).

Staff are trained in this domain and records are kept in staff portfolios.

All complaints relating to foreign bodies are taken with utmost seriousness and thoroughly investigation as per complaints protocol. Customers can complain directly about metal or foreign body items through our complaints form, which can be found by clicking here.

Metal Register

Item	Control	Corrective Action
Knives	purschase industry standard. Inspect before and after each use. Ensure no chipped surface.	If any damage to surface of knife - to be discarded and an alternate good condition knife to be used.
Spoons & other cutlery	purschase industry standard. Inspect before and after each use. Ensure no chipped surface.	If any damage to surgace of utensil - to be discarded and an alternate good condition item to be used.
Weighing Scales	ensure metal contact surface in good condition
Metal Table Tops	ensure metal contact surface in good condition
Raw Ingredients	purchase from approved supplies with inhouse metal detection.
FBM Proxima Machine	ensure all surfaces in good order, belt and screws all in situ	if any damage inform manufacturer and replace parts.

1.5.6a PROCEDURES FOR QUANTITY CONTROL AND ENSURING WEIGHTS AND MEASURES COMPLY WITH LEGISLATIVE MEASURES

Weights & Measures Legislation: Compliance & Procedures for Quantity Control

We retain and monitor to ensure we have up-to-date information about aspects of legislation relating to Weights & Measures. We supply and sell ‘Packaged Goods’ which are sold sealed between 150 grams and 5 kg. We only use metric units for selling our products.

1.5.6b MINIMUM SYSTEM

We apply the ‘minimum system’ to ensure that our products contain at least the quantity displayed on the label, due to the natural variation of our dates, our products usually contain a higher quantity than that displayed on the label.

Equipment used for weighing Packaged Goods

The equipment we use to weigh or measure our goods is up to date, suitable and electronic. We do not use domestic scales.

1.5.6c LABELLING GOODS WITH RESPECT TO PRODUCT WEIGHTS OR MEASUREMENTS

We follow the UK law guidelines on labelling our products. In particular we ensure the quantity marking is permanent, easy to see and meets the minimum height requirements.

1.5.6d STAFF TRAINING RELATING TO PRODUCT WEIGHTS AND MEASURES

Staff are trained about the legal requirements relating to prodcut weights and labelling. This is recorded in staff portfolios.