Incorporated in 1988, Megafoods a specialty food company, offers innovative specialty food products. The Company is a registered unit with the Ministry of Food Processing Industries, India as a Large Scale unit and the FPO number is 10002.
Promoters
The chief promoter of the company Mr. Amit C. Vaishnav is a Mechanical Engineer (B.E.) from the Maharaja Sayajirao University, Baroda (1982). He is a member of the I.I.E., a Chartered Engineer, a member of the Association of Food Scientists and Technologists (Mysore), an advisory committee member on food to the M.O.P. Vaishnav College for Women, Chennai and an active Rotarian.
Vision Statement
Mega Foods - Business Mission Statement "To Produce Quality Food Products that add Value to our Consumers, Buyers, Dealers, Vendors and Employees and thereby become the Most Reputed and Profitable Company."
Previous Experience
The Company was rendering institutional catering business at multiple locations in Chennai, catering to a diversed consumer taste in terms of cusine. Since the last five years the company has been selling its range of Pre-cooked concentrated masala paste. The company entered the foray of "Private Labels" with its association with Food World four years ago with a range of Jams. The company also bagged the private label contract from Giant Hypermarket for Jams and from Ushodaya Enterprises Ltd. (Priya) for Soya Sauce.
Infrastructure
Manpower Employed The Company has professionally qualified people heading all areas of operation. The Company analyses the training needs of its people and suitably imparts relevant training to its people. Every functional area is headed by a competent supervisor / manager. There as 45 skilled people working in the plant.
Infrastructure - Factory Site Specifications The factory is located on a site of about 26500 sq.ft. The processing builtup areas is about 16000 sq.ft inclusive of utility areas. The unit is located in a well developed Industrial Estate in Chennai which is close to the city. The processing area flooring is epoxy coated and the walls are imperviously painted. The entire plant areas have a sanitary perimeter in an effort to follow the best GMP standards.
Modern Food Processing Plant This emboldened the Company to venture in to a very modern “Food Safe” food processing plant, with an investment of more than Rs.70 millions has been set up at Ambattur Industrial Estate in Chennai by January 2003.
This plant is very modern “Food Safe Facility” and the company has obtained certification under ISO 9001:2000 & HACCP from NQA-UKAS-UK and GMP-AIB Consolidated Standards of 2001 from PMC-India.
The goal of the Company is to be of service to the world-wide consumer fraternity with a special focus on Indians all over the world by offering continually improved and cost effective processed food. For the discerning consumers - quality, healthy food is by far the most important.
Reverse Osmosis - Pure Water Used All the water that enters the plant is treated pure and safe. Water infused into the products is derived from a modern Reverse Osmosis plant coupled with a three stage Demineralisation (DM) plant.
Modern Effluent Treatment Plant The effluent from the plant is treated through a modern Effluent Treatment plant based on the new American design. The treated effluent is worthy of reuse in the plant itself.
Research and Development
The Company set up its R&D laboratory in 1995-96 with the guidance of CFTRI, Mysore - with whose active collaboration the company has researched on several products, their processes and the suitable methods of optimisation of these to suit the customers requirements of products. The company continues to innovate new products and processes to suit their customers requirements. In processed foods the company has been able to conduct extensive study towards extension of shelf life of its products by suitable alteration effected on the recipe, products and the processes.
The Company has innovated and invented two new processes in food processing:
ULWAT - Ultra Low Water Activity Technology, and
VHPTT - Very High Pressure, Temperature and Time Technology.
(International patents are being filed for the processes developed by the Company).
In 1995-96, the Company commenced research on packaged food with long shelf life with the able guidance of the CFTRI, Mysore. The pilot plant established in 1998, in Chennai, turned out to be an excellent R&D unit. Over the years, more than Rs.15 millions have been spent on Research and Development alone.
Strengths
The Companies extensive research base in processed foods gives it the ability to tune the products and processes desired to deliver quality products by using the optimal means. The plant is capable of handling a variety of processes and thereby the company is capable of leveraging this to.
Quality Control
The Company lays great importance to the role of QC. It may be noted that the QC department in involved in every area of the plant and the processes. The Company has obtained certification under ISO 9001:2000 & HACCP from NQA-UKAS-UK.
Quality Assurance The QA team is dedicated to the cause of ensuring that the products and processes conform to the requirements and standards as set out by the company. The QA team sets out the benchmark standards for the products and the processes and actively monitors the plant, production and the QC personnel in achieving the objectives.
Sourcing The Company has established a line of reputed suppliers of certified quality ingredient inputs. The company takes great pride in nurturing its relationships with its vendors.
People Practices - HACCP & GMP The companies people follow all the prudential hygiene practices commensurate with the industry. They are trained to adhere to the stringent practices required for the implementation of HACCP and GMP.
Factory & Plant - ISO 9001-2000, HACCP & GMP The factory, plant and machinery are in conformance with International Food Safety Standards and in tune with the best requirements of the ISO 9001-2000, HACCP and GMP standards. All critical plant and machinery are made form Stainless Steel 304. All areas of work, production, packaging, dispatch, sales, etc. are in tune with the standards required under ISO 9001-2000.
The Company follows GMP practices for its persons entering the factory only after using hand disinfectant wash, no street clothing is permitted in the food processing area, the people are subject to routine and regular medical examination and the company follows a stringent hygiene and housekeeping practice. The walls of the plant are painted with impervious paint.
All processed food products are handled through SS304 pipes, positive displacement pumps and filling machines with all contact parts made from SS304.
QC and R&D Laboratories The Company has set up separate labs for QC and R&D / product development which are modern and well equipped. All tests are conducted in house by a team of highly qualified and trained personnel.
Private Lable
The company has the expertise to fine tune products and processes to deliver the products required by the Private Labels. The companies seeking such private labels need to clearly define the menu, recipe and methodology required to be adopted and also render benchmark samples to compare. The company would then conduct trials and recommend fine tuning to these to obtain the desired results for the private labels.
The company makes the following Private Label Products: Food World - 6 variants of Fruit Jams, Giant Hypermarket - jams & Sauces - 9 variants, Pantaloon-Big/Food Bazaar-"Tasty Treat"-whole fruit jams & sauces , Ushodaya Enterprises Ltd. (Priya) - Soya Sauce for export markets and range of medicine fortified jams for ABL Biotechnologies Ltd.
FAQ
Why is Megafoods Plant considered as Modern? The process areas are semi-automated and conveying of pulps, sauces, etc. is done through SS304 piping. The plant has excellent semi-automatic filling lines. The entire plant area is in conformance with the best GMP practices and standards. The company takes great care in the HACCP program implemented by it. The company has set up its systems for effective management of people and materials and is moving towards the ISO 9000-2000 certification.
What is ULWAT Technology? Food products spoil mainly from the free water available in them. ULWAT technology delivers products devoid of free water and packing these products in suitable packaging - thereby providing products which cannot be spoilt by the onset of yeast, mold or bacteria.
What is VHPTT Technology? How is this useful for the Ready-to-Eat Products? The VHPTT technology is a well documented research that provides for the use of various ingredients in the food products, various methods of production of these products and the use of various packaging suited for these products - whereby the packed products are then processed in specially designed VHPTT equipment and processed under monitored conditions to deliver the final safe processed food products.
Are there many such facilities in India? No - not to the best of our knowledge.
Your Soya Bean Sauce is certified free from 3-MCPD and 1,3-DCP. What is significant about this? Since 1999, the world markets have been progressively banning the entry and usage of Soya Bean Sauce which have the cancerous contaminants 3-MCPD and 1,3-DCP. These are assumed to be occurring from the use of Acid-HVP of Soya used by most manufacturers of Soya sauce. We at Megafoods follow the fermentation process method and take great care in the handling of the process ingredients. We understand that there are very few companies offering this safe product and as such there is great scope for this product in the international markets.
Why do you need to have the Reverse Osmosis Plant and the Effluent Treatment Plant? The company is committed to using the best and the purest form of inputs in its products. The one input into any food factory of prime importance is water. The company has set up an RO plant to deliver good clean and bacteria free water for use everywhere in the plant. The Company also believes that it has a social objective in ensuring that the waste water from its plant should be clean and useable - and thus to this effect they have invested in a modern Effluent Treatment plant which treats the waste water totally and this output can be safely used for gardening, toilets and/or discharged into the sewerage system.
Manufacturing Process
Process of manufacturing Jams
Jams are made from fresh fruits or fruit pulps. Jams are packed in either bottles or in cans.
Fresh fruits are procured from the wholesale market and transported to our works where they are unloaded and stored under hygienic conditions.
The fruit is washed thoroughly to remove dirt and pesticide residue with plain water having a 15-20 ppm of chlorine.
Complete peels are removed from the fruits. Peeled fruits are passed through the pulper to get fresh fruit pulp.
The required quantity of pulp is taken (45% of the total jam) and sugar is added to it and the mix is treated in the kettle. After attaining the required brix levels, pectin solution is added to the product. Pectin makes covalent bond with sugar and sets the jam at 68 deg. brix in boiling condition a pH of below 4.
Once the jam is made the essence, color and citric acid are added to it.
Jam is packed either in bottles, tubs or jars and goes for cooling.
Bottles, tubs or jars after cooling are kept in an incubation period for 7-8 days and then labeled and packed in cartons for dispatch
Process of manufacturing Diet Sugar Free Jams
Jams are made from fresh fruits or fruit pulps. Jams are packed in either bottles or in cans.
Fresh fruits are procured from the wholesale market and transported to our works where they are unloaded and stored under hygienic conditions.
The fruit is washed thoroughly to remove dirt and pesticide residue with plain water having a 15-20 ppm of chlorine.
Complete peels are removed from the fruits. Peeled fruits are passed through the pulper to get fresh fruit pulp.
The required quantity of pulp is taken (45% of the total jam) and sorbitol is added to it and the mix is treated in the kettle. After attaining the required brix levels, pectin solution is added to the product. Pectin makes covalent bond with sorbitol & fruit pulp and sets the jam at 68 deg. brix in boiling condition a pH of below 4.
Once the jam is made the essence, color and citric acid are added to it.
Jam is packed either in bottles and goes for cooling.
Bottles after cooling are kept in an incubation period for 7-8 days and then labeled and packed in cartons for dispatch.
Miral Enterprises Exporter and manufacturer of jams that include fruit jams, fresh fruit jams, strawberry jams, mango jams, mixed fruit jams, packed mixed fruit jams, pineapple jams and flavored fruit jams.
Capital Foods Private Limited Exporter and manufacturer of sauces, ripened tomatoes sauces, herbs sauces, sauces with bhajiyas, smith and jones tomato sauce, tomato ketchup, garlic chilli sauce, masala chilli sauce, hot sauce and pizza ketchup.
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