Advantage Profile: T&R Sargent FarmsAdvantage HACCP and Halal open doors to major clientsTahir Qureshi knows chicken, he knows the Islamic Law around slaughtering and processing meat, and he knows his customers and their market needs. Now he knows HACCP too. Before becoming the sales manager at Sargent Farms, a chicken processor based in Milton, Qureshi was a provincial meat inspector. He's been inside a lot of meat operations and knows food processing. Now he's selling Halal chicken to grocery stores, restaurants and butchers. In Arabic, Halal means "permissible" and in North America it's a term frequently applied to food that is permissible according to Islamic law. "Our customers can tell their customers that they're buying from an Advantage HACCP certified provincially inspected plant," says Qureshi. 
Figure 1: Tahir Qureshi,
Sales Manager and Robert Giguere, CEO, T&R Sargent Farms
Sargent
Farms offers its customers many "Fresh" Poultry product lines including
whole roasting and broiler chickens, cut up parts as well as specialty cut boneless
and skinless poultry meat. In some ways, Halal and HACCP are natural partners. A good Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points (HACCP) plan develops documented procedures to minimize or eliminate the risk of food safety hazards, such as pathogens, from entering the food system and then sets up a record keeping system to document actions taken. Halal demands strict adherence to Islamic law. Put the two together and you get a safe, documented system of processing chicken that assures customers they are purchasing products from a company dedicated to food safety. Sargent Farms has invested a significant amount of money and effort to achieve their certification and to maintain the requirements of the Advantage HACCP program in their facility. It has achieved positive results in several ways, most notably in opening doors to customers who previously wouldn't have even considered purchasing product from a provincially inspected facility. "We wanted prospective customers to know that our products are wholesome, safe and of high quality," says Robert Giguere, CEO. "The reality was that the Canadian Food Inspection Agency was implementing food safety programs in federal plants and we wanted to do it here." The Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA) developed the Advantage HACCP program and then worked with Sargent Farms to pilot the program. As a result, Sargent Farms was the first plant to be Advantage HACCP certified. Currently, Sargent Farms is working with OMAFRA in another pilot project to implement a product traceability system. Advantage HACCP certification, provided by the Canadian General Standards Board has carried a lot of weight at the negotiation table when dealing with larger customers. Sargent Farms' ability to offer Halal chicken got them in the door, but "the main reason they were willing to consider us as a supplier was because we had Advantage HACCP certification," says Giguere. Buyers who know HACCP appreciate that an Advantage HACCP certified processor can document all the steps they've taken to ensure food safety. But buyers from smaller distributors or independent grocery chains might not be familiar with the program. For those buyers, Qureshi explains that it's all about analyzing every operational phase of the business and finding points where steps can be taken to reduce or eliminate food safety hazards. "I explain that it's a process we've taken to ensure a cleaner, safer, more wholesome product," says Qureshi. Customers, who resell our chicken to their consumers or to retail outlets, appreciate Sargent Farms' Advantage HACCP certification for its marketing value. "Our customers can tell their customers that they're buying from an Advantage HACCP certified provincially inspected plant," says Qureshi. Of course, Advantage HACCP isn't just a marketing tool. Significant changes were made at the Sargent Farms plant in order to meet the ongoing requirements for food safety. For instance, they now have a formal quality assurance department that audits the process and the product to make sure both meet all specifications. HACCP plays a key role in how they handle their chicken from start to finish. "Our people really took the initiative through the Advantage HACCP certification process," says Giguere. "They saw that their participation can help make things better. It's given them an added sense of ownership and more responsibility. It's the right way to go." Contact Information:Tahir Qureshi,
Sales Manager, T&R Sargent Farms "Our people really took the initiative through the
Advantage HACCP certification process," says Giguere. "They saw
that their participation can help make things better. It's given them an added
sense of ownership and more responsibility. It's the right way to go."
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