Food Processing and Agri-Tech

• Name the hazards: biological such as germs, chemical such as cleaning liquid, physical such as hair or glass.
• Wash hands with soap for 20 seconds before work and after the toilet, touching the face, or handling raw produce.
• Cover hair, wear clean clothes, and cover cuts with a waterproof bandage and glove.
• Use safe water, keep pests out and store waste in covered bins away from food.

Activity. Write a hygiene code for a small unit.

Standard to meet. Cover people, place, water and pests in the code, with a check for each.

• Check produce for ripeness, damage, mould and pesticide waiting period.
• Sort and grade by size and quality; remove spoilt pieces before washing.
• Wash in running safe water, then peel or cut with clean tools.
• Weigh before and after each step and record it.

Activity. Prepare 10 kg of raw produce and record weights at each step.

Standard to meet. Record weights at each step and calculate yield.

• Cook jam to 104 degrees Celsius, or until it reaches 65 percent sugar by a refractometer or the set test.
• Use salt, oil and acid in pickles to stop growth of germs, with pH below 4.6.
• Dry fruit or vegetables on clean trays at 55 to 60 degrees until crisp and moisture is low.
• Keep boiling hot water, steam and open flames away from children and wear heat gloves.

Activity. Build one batch of jam or pickle and record time, temperature and pH.

Standard to meet. Meet critical limits and record them at the time.

• Wash jars and lids and sterilise them in boiling water for 10 minutes.
• Fill hot, leave 1 cm headspace, wipe the rim and seal at once.
• Cool and check lids; reject any that bulge or leak.
• Use food-grade packing and keep it covered until use.

Activity. Pack and seal one batch and inspect every jar.

Standard to meet. Check that all sealed jars pass and record rejects.

• Store dry goods off the floor, away from walls, in a cool dry store with first in, first out.
• Keep perishable items at 4 degrees Celsius or lower and frozen items at minus 18.
• Check and log fridge temperature twice a day.
• Transport in clean, covered vehicles with insulated boxes and ice packs.

Activity. Set up a storage log and a stock rotation system.

Standard to meet. Fill logs twice daily and use oldest stock first.

• List each step and its hazard, and mark the critical ones such as cooking, cooling, sealing and metal detection.
• Set a limit, a check, a record and a correction for each critical step.
• Take a sample of each batch for taste, colour, pH and seal checks.
• Write a recall plan: batch number, buyers and how to stop sales.

Activity. Write a safety plan for your product.

Standard to meet. Give every critical step a limit, check, record and correction.

• Print on every label the name, ingredients, net weight, batch number, date of making, best before date and the maker name and address.
• Show the 14-digit FSSAI licence or registration number, the veg or non-veg mark, MRP inclusive of taxes, and nutrition and allergen details as the labelling rules require.
• Work out yield as finished weight divided by raw weight.
• Work out cost per jar from raw material, fuel, packing, labour and overhead.

Activity. Design a label and calculate cost per jar.

Standard to meet. Label has all details and the cost sheet adds up.

• Produce one batch with hygiene checks and a batch record.
• Calculate yield, losses and cost.
• Write a unit plan: space layout, equipment, licences, staff and monthly sales target.
• Present the batch, label and plan to a mentor.

Activity. Present the batch pack and unit plan.

Standard to meet. Complete records and cover licences and costs in the plan.

List 8 hygiene rules and 4 food hazards, and show correct handwashing and surface cleaning in under 2 minutes, with every step done.

Speaker notes. Teacher watches the handwash steps against a checklist. Covered in module 1.

Prepare and preserve one batch of 10 jars safely using heat, drying or acid, with temperature and time written for each step.

Speaker notes. Teacher checks the log shows the heating temperature and a clean sealed lid on each jar. Covered in module 3, Preservation by heat, drying and acid.

Run 3 batches with a record sheet for each and a label showing name, date, ingredients and shelf life on every pack.

Speaker notes. Teacher reads 3 labels and checks every field is filled. Covered in module 7, Labelling, cost and yield.

Operate a small unit for 4 weeks following a written food safety plan with 5 control checks logged daily. Check local licence rules with an expert.

Speaker notes. Teacher inspects the daily log for gaps and checks storage temperatures. Covered in module 1, Hygiene and food hazards.

Manage a team of 4 over 20 production days, keeping rejects under 3 percent and every batch signed off by a quality check.

Speaker notes. Teacher checks the reject count against total packs made.

Build a traceability system linking each pack to its raw material, so a test recall finds all affected packs within 1 hour.

Speaker notes. Teacher names a batch and times the learner finding every pack made from it.

Write food processing and agri-tech training standards with a skills checklist, and train 5 workers until each passes a 20-point practical test.

Speaker notes. Teacher scores one practical test against the checklist. Check local rules with an expert.