Quality products needs quality raw material
To make a high quality seafood product, it is imperative to have great raw materials. This is also true when it comes to ensuring a high level of food safety. It is not enough to have a state-of-the-art factory and strict quality procedures – producers needs to be in control of the entire value chain.
At Royal Greenland's smokehouse in Hirtshals, Denmark the primary species are salmon and Greenland turbot and a lot of effort is put into choosing the best and freshest fish.
Fresh salmon delivered daily
For the factory's production of smoked salmon, Royal Greenland purchases fresh fish directly from selected Norwegian salmon farms. The salmon are always of superior quality A grade (the best) and is shipped fresh from Norway, directly after slaughtering. The smokehouse receives 4-7 truckloads of fresh salmon directly from Norway every week, which means that the fish is fileted and ready for salting/marinating within only 2-4 days after slaughtering. In the daily purchasing routines, Royal Greenland places strict demands on the Norwegian exporters with regards to documentation on possible contaminants, including listeria, colour grade and fat content. All suppliers are approved through Royal Greenland's code of conduct for suppliers by both local and corporate quality departments and questionnaires, audits, certifications and HACCP plans are a part of the approval process.
Owning the Greenland turbot supply chain
The Greenland turbot used in Royal Greenland's smoke production comes from coastal fishery in West Greenland. The fish are wild caught by individual fishermen fishing with long lines from small vessels and dinghies. In order to ensure safe handling on board the fishing vessels, Royal Greenland educate the fishermen, e.g. with regards to correct slaughtering procedures and how to ice the fish optimally. The fishermen deliver the iced fish directly to local Royal Greenland land based fileting and freezing facilities along the coast, where the fish are handled according to Royal Greenland's quality control program, based on the HACCP principles. As routine, samples are taken at several points in order to secure optimal quality levels. Thus, Royal Greenland owns the entire supply chain and is able to secure the food safety all the way from catch to consumer.
Final precautions
Once the raw material is delivered to the smokehouse, quality is once again checked to make sure that it lives up to the Royal Greenland standards. All chemical testing is done both internally and by an external partner as an extra precaution. Read more about the food safety procedures after the raw material enters the production facility here.
