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| Sunday, 12 December 2004 |
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Munchee biscuits conform to HACCP specifications Ceylon Biscuits Ltd (CBL) makers of the Muchee brand of biscuits, with claims of holding 50 percent marketshare, now says that it holds the HACCP - Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points food safety certification. CBL is the only local biscuit manufacturer to gain HACCP standardisation, the company also claims. CBL shipments reach 35 countries and the HACCP rating would be a tremendous boost to exports, Chairman Mineka Wickramasingha said. The company also says that being HACCP compliant would effect ease in dealing with many export markets, boost confidence in international trade, increase transparency between suppliers, manufacturer and customers and improve communication and awareness. The local accreditor for HACCP is the Sri Lanka Standards Institution (SLSI). SLSI Director General, BSP Mendis explained that CBL took eight months to gain HACCP standardisation, which must be obtained systematically embodying a scientific analysis of potential hazards in food. Chairman Wickremasingha said that the achievement was the result of thousands of hours of hard work by CBL's HACCP team and all employees underlining the professional competence of the company. Originating from a Third World Country makes it necessary that biscuits which leave the CBL production shelf are sold in First World nations under prestigious brand names. CBL biscuits retailed in USA go under the brand name, Supremo, in Hong Kong as Park N Shop and Supremo, in Australia as Ogilivi and in New Zealand under the Roystons brand label. Two containers of CBL biscuits reach the United Kingdom per month under the Munchee rank. Egypt, Dubai, Ghana and Botswana are among countries where the name Munchee is retailed, Deputy Chairman, Ramya Wickramasingha said. The company already had the ISO 9001, 2000, 14001 and SLS 251 certifications. HACCP was first designed to assume food safety for the early astronauts and has been adapted to meet or exceed the requirements of other food products. CBL are in a big way in India having purchased India's largest biscuit-manufacturing plant, Bakeman's Biscuits at a cost of Rs 350 million. The company has also commissioned a plant which makes 40,000 small packeted cakes in an hour investing Rs 1.5 million and markets the cake locally under the brand name OKay. In time, the company has projections of selling the cakes in the SAARC region. The company has also purchased the Cecil Foods factory and intends marketing organic dehydrated foods here and overseas. |
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