We talked about quality control during the distribution of SABI dairy products with Ing. Peter Kočiš, head of dairy production in Sabinov.
Although this spring was cooler this year, warm days will definitely come. Are you prepared for the distribution of dairy products to maintain their quality?
Yes. All vehicles that deliver our products have cooling boxes. Loading is done so that the vehicle backs up to the warehouse and is "connected" to it by a so-called sleeve. We load chilled products into cooled vehicles. Of course, when it is 35 °C outside, it is a bit problematic.
Vehicles go out early in the morning when it is cooler...
Yes, but they finish at noon. But short-term warming is not a problem, the product is cooled from the warehouse, and it is continuously cooled in the vehicle. At high outside temperatures, especially when the vehicle is frequently opened and closed during unloading, the temperature inside the vehicle may rise a bit. But that is not a problem; short-term warming does not harm the products, it would be worse, for example, a five-hour warming, which would start bacteria. Both good and bad. That could cause the product to swell.
Do you declare shorter shelf life for products in summer?
No, from the specification point of view, it would be problematic to determine when summer is. Sometimes it is 30 °C in March. It is always up to the manufacturer, who declares the quality. The warranty they set must be respected, and it is up to them how they handle it. They must instruct carriers and monitor them.
How can you control the number of vehicles, whether they turn off the air conditioning during distribution because they want to save fuel...
We have various control mechanisms; we will not reveal all of them so that no one thinks about how to bypass them. But, for example, we put a thermometer in the yogurt that is marked; it is not just a thermometer but a thermograph that also records the temperature over time. And we can track the overall temperature course from storage to stores. The yogurt with the inserted thermometer is hidden among others but is, of course, marked so that no one eats it. So carriers do not know all the control mechanisms, but they know that we really check compliance with the agreed temperature parameters. When the carrier already knows that something is there, they behave differently. We also check randomly. It is up to us to create pressure and control so that the storage conditions we declare are met. Thanks to systematic control, we can state that we practically have no problems with thermal conditions during transport for many years.
And what about stores?
That is already monitored by our sales department. We sell most of the production in our stores, so we can keep a good watch.
We make random visits to stores and observe how products are stored in the store warehouse and on the sales counter. The most sensitive to insufficient cooling are milk and sweet cream, which should be stored below 6 °C. And in summer, just by transporting goods at 30 °C outside, they can warm up above 6 °C for a short time. If they are immediately put into a cold place, it does not matter, but if they are left outside, for example, for 3 hours, the milk will sour because it is not UHT. I remember when we switched from bags (everyone knew that bagged milk was three-day milk) to Tetra Paks, people thought it did not have to be refrigerated. At that time, we often had complaints that the milk did not last. It was useless that it was written to store at temperatures below 6 °C. So it is also about education and working with customers.
Can you also control other stores?
Partially yes, but responsibility for physical conditions during storage and sale lies with the seller.
That is why it is better to buy SABI products in Milk-Agro network stores, where you can guarantee everything...
Buying in our stores is definitely a good choice, but if a customer buys our products in other stores, they do not have to worry. Some small deviation from the required physical parameters during storage and sale does not yet mean that the product is spoiled. The prescribed conditions represent a fairly strict standard, but warranty conditions and warranty periods are set with some reserve. For example, if you eat yogurt two weeks after the expiry date, not only will nothing happen to you, but you will not notice any change in sensory and taste properties. The change will be in what you do not see, that there will be fewer live yogurt cultures. That reserve is because you have to count on the product not being stored as required. Even if we guard the entire process from production to sale, we cannot influence, for example, transport from the store to the home and storage at home. For example, in summer, if there are 35 °C heatwaves, transport home can warm the product. Therefore, there must be a time reserve in the warranty. Although, of course, the manufacturer is not responsible for handling the product after purchase.
So the cleanliness of the production process and quality control throughout the production, transport, and sale of SABI products guarantee that during the shelf life, SABI products retain all necessary quality parameters...
Definitely. Our director eats SABI yogurts two weeks after their expiry date. That says it all...
