Most meat packers ship cattle
in from far away but Norpac is different. Unlike almost any other packer, Norpac
owns a good portion of the cattle they put through their plant so they have been
able to capitalize on the trend to fresh local food.
The family runs a
sizeable feedlot operation and at any given time owns between 1,200 and 3,000
head of cattle. This allows them to custom feed the animals according to a diet
that they developed. It's a custom-made, vegetarian pellet ration designed to
be fed with a whole-corn base. The corn-fed diet produces a rich, flavourful beef.
In
the competitive meat processing environment they've had to stay nimble to meet
the requirements of their customers. They constantly add new products, such as
their value-added items like AAA steaks, beef patties and sausages.
Keeping
on top of food trends - like the buy local movement - and promoting their corn-fed
beef products has helped build the business. But changing buying habits of the
major grocery chains, most of whom now purchase exclusively from federally licensed
plants, was starting to affect their business. As a provincially inspected plant
they wanted to show that they not only meet regulatory standards but also have
a superior, documented food safety management system.
Showing they meet
regulatory requirement is easy. Norpac is inspected annually by Ontario Ministry
of Agriculture, Food, and Rural Affairs' (OMAFRA) auditors to ensure they meet
regulatory standards. In 2006, they received an AA rating, one of the highest
ratings achievable. Showing they have a superior food safety program was a little
more difficult.
That's where OMAFRA's Advantage HACCP program
came in. "We want to do the best in all that we do," says Matthew Heleniak
at Norpac. "We take great pride in having a very clean facility that complements
our superior product line."
The Advantage HACCP program addresses
food safety hazards associated with the plant and its personnel and identifies
critical control points where food safety hazards can be controlled or eliminated
during processing. These steps require analysis of all operational activities
and development of documented procedures to reduce or eliminate identified food
safety hazards. Finally, the HACCP program is audited and certified by an independent
third-party. For the Advantage HACCP program, third party audits and certification
are provided by the Canadian General Standards Board (CGSB), an agency of the
federal government.
It's possible for a food processor to develop their
own HACCP (Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points) program but Norpac wanted
a properly certified HACCP program that they could present to customers. "We
figure that Advantage HACCP should take us to the next plateau," says
Ron Heleniak. "I tell people it's an issue of food safety and cleanliness."
Going
through the HACCP development helped management see areas where they could make
changes, mostly in the area of better records, but also in the layout of the plant.
For instance, they improved the design of walls in the plant, segregated the slaughter
floor from the rest of the plant and installed a new cooler.
These were
more than just cosmetic changes and Norpac must pass the rigorous certification
audit to make sure all the required Advantage HACCP standards are met on
an ongoing basis. In the CGSB audit cycle, full certification audits take place
every three years with partial audits occurring during the two in-between years.
"We
felt we weren't that far away from meeting the Advantage HACCP standards
when we started the HACCP process," says Ron. "We have a commitment
to our customers to be on the leading edge of food safety. Because there is additional
credibility with a government certified program, we chose Advantage HACCP."
Contact Information:
Ron Heleniak, Owner and Sales, Norwich Packers
Tel: 519-468-3617 or Toll Free: 1-800-265-5410
Email ronh@norpacbeef.com
Website: www.norpacbeef.com
It's possible for a food processor to develop their own
HACCP (Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points) program but Norpac wanted a properly
certified HACCP program that they could present to customers. "We figure
that Advantage HACCP should take us to the next plateau," says Ron
Heleniak. "I tell people it's an issue of food safety and cleanliness."
Figure 1: Matt Heleniak,
Manager/Cattle Buyer, Norwich Packers 
