STATUS OF SEAFOOD QUALITY MANAGEMENT IN THE COUNTRY AND THE IMPROVEMENT NEEDED

Mohammed Helal Uddin,
Deputy Inspector,
Fish Inspection and Quality Control, Khulna

and

T. K. Das
Inspector,
Fish Inspection and Quality Control, Khulna

1. INTRODUCTION

Quality management systems of seafood involves necessary measures to keep the quality from harvesting to retailing of seafood. Processing of quality seafood product depends on various factors, viz., a) primary quality of raw material, b) techniques employed in raw material collection, c) handling and transportation system, d) methods of preservation, e) facilities available at the processing plant, f) processing technology used, g) skill of the technicians/workers, h) storage facilities and i) sanitary conditions of plant.

2. HISTORY OF SEAFOOD PROCESSING INDUSTRY

In 1959, the first shrimp and fish processing and freezing plant was installed at Chittagong. During the decade from 1960 to 1970, due to the political crisis in the eastern wing of Pakistan (Bangladesh), less emphasis was given to the industrial development. Even then, some private enterpreners could establish a few fish processing plants. The development of the industry suffered initially till 1976, but gained momentum in 1977. By the end of 1993 there were 101 plants in the country with a production capacity of approximately 710 tons per day (Table-1). The country's exports increased from US $ 3.06 m in 1972 to US $ 180.26 m in 1992–93.

The fish processing industries established during the seventies were primarily designed for shrimp and froglegs but not for finfish. During the eighties due to rapid growth in fish processing plants and ban on froglegs export, some were modified for finfish processing.

3. RAW MATERIAL AVAILABILITY

Presently, the quantity of raw materials available for the industry is around 22,000 MT. compared to the 1,42,000 MT. needed if the industry is run with optimal capacity for 200 working days per year. This gap in demand and supply of raw material is a serious problem in the economic and effective management of quality sea food.

4. QUALITY OF RAW MATERIALS

4.1. HARVESTING AND LANDING

The harvesting and landing of fish are widely dispersed. Similarly, the fishing activity is spread over the year. Artisanal methods are mainly employed to tap the resource and there are limited facilities for landing of the catch. The main inland fish landing points are Goalanda, Kuliarchar, Ajmiriganj, Habiganj, Rangamati, Jessore and Kustia.

Marine coastal fishing in Bangladesh is seasonal and the peak season is during the calm weather from October to March. Almost ninety percent of the total marine catch is harvested from nearshore water by small scale fishermen and about six percent is from deep sea by trawler. The major landing of marine and estuarine catch takes place at Chittagong, Barisal, Khulna, Cox's Bazar, Chandpur, Patuakhali.

The catch of cultured shrimps are landed at Bagerhat, Khulna, Satkhira, Paikgacha, Kaliganj, Chackoria, Teknaf and Coxs Bazar.

4.2. HANDLING AND TRANSPORTATION

Road, rail and water transport are used to carry fish to distant places from landing/collecting centres. In case of marine transport, mechanized boats with insulated fish holds are in use. But on land, road transport is mainly used as it considered safe and speedy. The time required to reach the destination varies widely according to location. For fish to reach distant urban centres from fishing grounds, it takes 7–9 days after harvesting which is less than the normal shelf life of many tropical species even if the condition of handling and storing is ideal. Packing materials include bamboo baskets, wooden boxes, plastic and hessian bags. Usually, banana leaves. seal leaves, hoglamat and hessian are used as insulating materials which affect the keeping quality of the raw material.

A number of factors associated with the system of transportation contribute to the deterioration of raw materials, viz.,

1. Non availability of ice.
2. Insufficient supply of ice.
3. Undeveloped or underdeveloped communication system.
4. Lack of proper insulation material.
5. Inadequate packing.
6. Lack of sanitation.
7. Dependance on traditional transport systems.
8. Lack of mechanization of the systems.
9. Lack of quality consiousness.
10. Infrastructural problems.

4.3. RAW MATERIAL COLLECTION SYSTEM

Fishermen or farmers rarely deliver their catch to the industry directly. The collection of raw materials passes through a private channels, the structure of which varies from area to area but in general can be divided as follows :-

1. Primary landing/collecting centre
2. Secondary landing/collecting centre
3. Higher secondary landing/collecting centre
4. Final stage of delivery to industry

Most of the landing, collecting and wholesale centres are not properly equipped or not provided with adequate facilities for fish handling. The sanitary conditions are also not good. In most cases, there are no supply of clean water and ice. The facilities for preservation are also unsatisfactory. The problems of landing, collecting, and distribution are summarized as follows :-

1. Lack of landing facilities.
2. Over flooding of landing and sales areas during rainy season.
3. Dirty floor or earthen floor.
4. Inadequate drainage system.
5. No facilities of washing or inadequate washing system.
6. Insufficient auction yard or none at all.
7. No parking space
8. No access for vehicles.
9. No proper weighing equipment.
10. Insufficient supply of ice or none at all.
11. No insulated storage facilities or no chilling system.
12. Irregular supply of electricity or none at all.
13. Lack of quality consciousness.
14. No insulated or refrigerated transport to distribute the raw material in good condition to the processing plant.

4.4. SEAFOOD EXPORT

Since independence, the export of fish and fisheries products of the country has increased both by volume and value. In 1992–93, the country exported frozen fish and fisheries products of worth 18.26 million US Dollars. The share of frozen seafood is around 91.72 percent of the total exports of the fishery products. Of this, frozen shrimp accounts for 155.478 m US $ (90.18) and frozen fish 9.8 m US $ (9.98).

5. QUALITY MANAGEMENT SYSTEM OF SEAFOOD EXPORT

5.1. QUALITY MANAGEMENT SYSTEM IN THE INDUSTRY

Generally the fish are supplied by the bonafide supplier or fish trader in bulk quantity or some times by the farmer or fishermen in small quantity directly to the plants.

Quality control of the fish or fisheries products are the responsibilities of the production supervisor who is directly responsible to the plant management. The control of quality in a small unit is normally the responsibility of one individual, but for a large unit, a group of individuals is involved. Processing is usually controlled by a group of supervisors in all the processing plants which were established earlier. However, the processing plants established recently are of international standard, with facilities of smooth control in process line.

5.2. OFFICIAL QUALITY CONTROL SYSTEM

Creation of National Inspection Quality Control Department.

The government has created a National Inspection and Quality Control Department with the following objectives :-

1. Formulations of specifications for raw materials.
2. Formulations of regulating raw material supply system.
3. Formulation and Controls of inplant process.
4. Formulations of specifications of containers and utensils to be used for finished product.
5. Development of test procedures and testing levels of production variables.
6. f) Development of plants sanitary and hygienic condition.
7. Development of sampling plan and sampling schedule, and sampling technique.
8. Preparation of forms for recording and reporting and quality control charts.
9. Attending the troubles and advising the plant management and associates to minimize or for rectification.
10. Attending to special problems regarding quality.
11. Development of inspection methodology and inspection schedule.
12. Inspection of process line and quality checks of end products.
13. Microbiological Test of samples for certification.
14. Training of personnels.
15. Extension and motivation service.

Fish Inspection and Quality Control Service of DOF under the MOFL functions mainly to inspect fish and fisheries products meant for export and checks the sanitary and hygienic condition of the processing plants. The present set up of QC department has the responsibilities for

1. Standardization of raw material to be used at the plants for producing exportable product.
2. Process line specification for the plant and control on product.
3. Specification to maintain/the generral sanitary conditions of plants, suppliers and associates including
   • plant design
   • plant cleanliness
   • water and ice quality
   • working hygiene
   • plant premises cleanliness.
   • process utensils specification.
4. Specification of packing materials.
5. Specification of packing methods.
6. Possible raw material inspection.
7. Pre-shipment inspection of product.
8. End product testing (Organoleptic and Microbiological)
9. Issuance of pre-shipment salubrity certificate.
10. Training of plant personnels and advisory service for quality management.
11. Licencing the processing plants.

The QC department has two functional laboratories at Chittagong and Khulna and the third laboratory at Dhaka is going to be operational soon. The inspectors of FIQC frequently inspect the fish processing plants to evaluate sanitary and hygienic facilities. Inspection is made of the quality of raw materials and final product in respecty of dehydration, discolouration, texture, black spot, odour, weight, grade, presence of undesirable materials. Apart from such inspection, microbiological and chemical analyses are done of representative samples.

5.3. MODERN CONCEPT OF QUALITY MANAGEMENT

Early methods of quality control were based on lot inspection and sampling schemes, where there was almost no or little scope of overcoming the problems or defects if identified in the final product. For effective management, quality must be built into the process rather than instilling quality through inspection. However, the following are the bottlenecks and constraints in quality management system:

• Communication complex or inter connected transport system is not yet developed properly in the country. This creates problems in the distribution of raw material.

• No electric supply up to the remotest area where the fish/shrimp culture farms are located.

• Irregularity in electricity supply affects the product quality both in production and storage.

• Lack of proper knowledge in modern techniques in respect of sanitation.

• Ignorance in management of personal hygiene of the workers engaged in the fish processing plants.

• Competition between the plant owners for collecting raw materials gives room for receiving of low grade raw material.

• Quality control unit is lacking in most of the processing plants.

• Management pressure on the production manager/supervisor to produce under grade products for maintaining the quantitative balance between raw materials and finished products.

• Bulk seasonal supply (related with moon) affects the quality of the product.

• Lack of introduction of HACCP identification system

• lack of inspection of deterioration of raw material from harvest to arrival at the plants.

• Inadequate manpower for quality control

6. IMPROVEMENT NEEDED

6.1. ADVISORY SERVICE

An advisory body should be created to identify the development strategy and to evolve the national policy of fish inspection and quality management programme. The body should undertake the following activities :

1. Study the present status of fish inspection service in Bangladesh and to assign the future role.

2. Formulate project proposals strengthen inspection establishment.

3. Formulate proper legislative guidelines for the inspection authority and delegate the required power and authority to them for effective functioning.

4. Formulate an action plan and review it continuously for better quality control.

6.2. ORGANIZATIONAL FACILITIES

1. Inspectors should be designated properly commensurate with his function and authority.

2. Testing Laboratories should be equipped with modern facilities.

3. Steps should be taken to construct and shift the Khulna Laboratory to its own building equipped with modern facilities.

6.3. RESEARCH AND EXTENSION

The Directorate of Fisheries (DOF) and Fisheries Research Institute (FRI) give emphasis on the following areas.

1. Study on the improvement of fish/shrimp collection and distribution system in the country.

2. Study on the development of infrastructural facilities and methods of improving transport.

3. Development of cheap and durable insulated fish container.

4. Improving ice supply to the distant Fish Culture/Landing areas.

5. Study on the present problems in processing of quality seafood product.

6. Study the proper mechanism for technical and financial assistance to remote coastal fishing communities and farmers.

7. Study to build up modern landing centers and wholesale markets at remote fishing villages.

6.4. IN-PLANT QUALITY CONTROL (IPQC) :

1. Processors should not buy more raw product than their capacity to handle.

2. Instructions to be given to the corresponding agencies regarding handling, preservation and transportation of raw materials.

3. An improved and effective systems of mandatory inspection be evolved for seafood right from fishing to end product meant both for export and internal consumption.

4. Introduction of plants's own quality control system to ensure the reduction of defects in the finished product.

5. The creation of HACCP Team for effective in-plant quality control system.

6.5. INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION

1. International cooperation could be sought for strengthening and improving the existing quality control programme to make the system more effective.

2. Cooperation for human resource development.

3. Study tours may be undertaken by concerned officials.

7. CONCLUSION

Quality management system of seafood in a processing industry should be on product quality and spoilage control. Rigorous quality control is essential for competition in the world market and also for the health and wellbeing of the human being.

Annexure: 1

Table 1. Growth of Shore-based Processing plants in Bangladesh

Source : Raja (1980).