Deep expertise helps customer protect food safety
When a customer in Finland discovered elevated levels of microorganisms in their fermented dairy alternative products, Tetra Pak quickly responded to solve the issue.
Rapid remote support during the COVID-19 pandemic
When Tetra Pak was called on to assist the customer at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, they initially provided remote support to gain a deeper understanding of the issue due to the travel restrictions in place in Finland. Local Tetra Pak experts, including a Food Protection Specialist, engaged with the customer to analyse product quality data, which revealed that the issue was gradually worsening and might even affect food safety if not remedied.
In response, the Tetra Pak team quickly worked to contain the situation until the root cause was identified. This involved implementing provisional operational routines, frequent cleaning efficiency verification and tighter quality control routines to ensure the desired final product quality.
Microbiological troubleshooting and consultation
Tetra Pak’s Food Protection Specialist led a systematic microbiological troubleshooting exercise to identify the cause of the issue in the customer’s operations. This process highlighted several improvement opportunities in different parts of the customer’s plant. The changes included optimising hygienic design in the production technology, improving maintenance in the pre-processing area, and the introduction of best operational and cleaning practices.
After the changes were agreed with the customer and implemented, quality measurements of the product showed no microbiological issues after a few weeks. This was also confirmed during a follow up six months later, when the customer clearly expressed their increased confidence in the safety and quality of their final product.