At every step, from tracking raw material into the plant to the final loading of the finished product for shipment, the product is monitored by NATURAL FOOD ARGENTINA A complete food safety program including GOOD MANUFACTURING PRACTICES and HACCP, assures that the raisins are processed in the most sanitary environment possible and kept free from contamination. By checking product lot codes during the inspection process the traceability of the raisins are maintained above and beyond customer expectations. Once ready to ship, NFA QA staff inspect every trailer or container prior to NFA product being loaded. Any discrepancies are immediately taken care of and the container or trailer is re-checked for approval.
Quality control is an important part of each step in the raisin making process. While the grapes are growing, they are checked for ripeness by squeezing the juice from a grape and using a refractometer. This allows the growers to determine how much sugar is in the grape. They are also tasted and their weight per volume is measured to give a measure of the quality of the fruit. They also try not to break berries as the liquid will attract insects. Knives are used to cut down the grape bunches to prevent damage. At the factory, the raisins are thoroughly inspected. They are also subjected to a variety of laboratory analyses to ensure the production of a consistent, high quality product.
Quality begins at the vineyard where growers continually work to improve their grapes for raisins. At harvest, incoming raisins are inspected by NFA. Each bin of raisins is examined, graded, and tagged prior to storage.
