Level 4 · Part 1
From raw material to product
Write your process as steps. You cannot improve what you have not described.
A process is the sequence of steps that turns a raw material into a finished product. Writing it down shows you where quality can go wrong, where time is lost and where equipment is needed.
Receive ──▶ Sort ──▶ Wash ──▶ Prepare (peel, cut)
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Store ◀── Label ◀── Pack ◀── Cool ◀── Dry or cookEvery product has its own flow. A flour, a sauce, a dried fruit and a yoghurt are all different. The point is to write down the steps in order, with what is done at each one, who does it, and what could go wrong.
Check the safe method for your product
Some foods are safe to process in simple ways. Others need careful control to be safe. Do not copy a method from a neighbour or a video without checking it. Ask an advisor, a food authority or a training body in your country whether the method is safe for your product.
Exercise 4.1 · Draw your process flow
- Choose your product and write its name at the top of a page.
- Write every step from receiving the raw material to storing the finished product.
- Next to each step, write who does it, what tool or equipment is used, and what could go wrong.
- Mark with a star the step that matters most for safety and the step that matters most for quality.
Background reading for this part:
- Value from village processing (Diversification booklet 4) — Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), Peter Fellows
- Guidelines for small-scale fruit and vegetable processors (FAO Agricultural Services Bulletin 127) — Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), Peter Fellows, 1997