Level 4 · Part 3
The same every time
A written method and a simple batch record make quality repeatable.
Customers come back to a product that is the same every time. Consistency comes from a method you write down and follow, not from memory or luck.
What to write down
- The ingredients and the amounts, using a scale or measure that you check from time to time.
- Each step of the method and any times, sizes or other settings that matter.
- What the product should look, smell, feel and taste like when it is right.
- What to do with a batch that is not right.
| Item | What to write |
|---|---|
| Batch code | A short code, for example the date and a letter |
| Raw material | Where it came from and how it looked on arrival |
| Method followed | Yes or no, and any change you made |
| Checks | Look, smell, feel, taste, anything you measured |
| Result | Accepted, changed or thrown away, and why |
| Packed and stored | Date, amount and where it is kept |
Why the batch code matters
If a customer has a problem, a batch code tells you which batch it came from, what went into it and who else may have received it. It lets you fix the cause and protects your customers.
Exercise 4.3 · Write your method and batch record
- Write your method in steps that someone else could follow.
- Make your own batch record sheet based on the table above.
- Make one batch following the method exactly and fill in the record. Note anything that was hard to follow.
Background reading for this part:
- 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