Al Ain Dairy Farm

Quality

In order to maintain its leading position in the market, Al Ain Dairy aims to satisfy customer needs by providing innovative and affordable dairy products to supply their daily requirements. Al Ain Dairy also acknowledges that in order to meet this demand, it must produce products in the most hygienic environment, utilising safe manufacturing and processing practices to inspire total consumer confidence.

Al Ain Dairy has identified four key processes that are central to efficient operations and add value by providing improved services to consumers. These individual processes are: planning, processing and production, purchasing and customer relations.

Planning

Strategic planning directives are issued by the Board Executive Committee and provide guidance throughout Al Ain Dairy’s operations. All divisions work together to formulate independent plans which are then seamlessly integrated as a blueprint for the company’s operations to meet set directives.

Future sales plans and projections are forecast with reference to historical statistics, market intelligence, competitor activity and internal and external research. The sales plan then assists the dairy in planning the raw milk supply required to meet the sales forecast. Reference to current technical performance data is taken into account, with consideration given to herd size development and the volume of raw milk required from external farms. Financial planning assists all departments by providing budgets and capital expenditure plans for the forecast activity.

Processing and production

The milk processing function is to convert the available supply of raw milk into the products required by the sales department on a daily basis. Al Ain Dairy is equipped with a state-of-the-art processing plant which has many process control systems in accordance with obtaining HACCP certification. From the milking of the dairy cows through to the packaging of the finished product, there are many critical control points, which includes the complete pasteurisation process and these are continuously monitored. Production records are created and maintained throughout the whole process, enabling total traceability on all products manufactured.

Products and packaging are analysed regularly and immediate action taken in the event of non-conformance. All final products are subjected to physico-chemical and microbiological examination, in addition to monitoring of aseptic points and online processes.

Strict adherence to the UAE health law, municipality by-laws and the international health organisations require the manufacturing of safe and healthy products, in addition to having a good quality assurance system in place. Al Ain Dairy’s accreditation by HACCP generates confidence from customers and the health authorities that Al Ain Dairy’s processes meet and exceed safe and hygienic benchmarks of an international standard.

As the first dairy in the UAE to be awarded HACCP certification, Al Ain Dairy maintains a competitive edge over other major competing dairies in the region, whilst offering its customers quality assurance and total peace of mind. Al Ain Dairy’s quality assurance system has been improved to follow a structured approach by formalising all process flows, quality control tests, formulations and by implementing the HACCP system. The methods used are further improved by comparing Al Ain Dairy’s processes with those of the local health authority to ensure that all requirements are met and to assist and verify new techniques. New developments in testing and monitoring are continually evaluated and implemented if appropriate by Al Ain Dairy.

Gold Chain Process

The cold chain is an essential element in the supply of fresh and safe milk. The eight step procedure is a critical process which covers the supply of milk from cow to consumer. The main aim of the cold chain is to keep bacterial contamination to minimum levels and provide consumers with safe fresh milk. Temperature is a main contributor to bacterial contamination, so strict controls have been put in place to keep the milk at a constant temperature of four degrees centigrade (+4ºC) throughout the whole process.

In the first stage, after the cows have been milked under hygienic conditions, the raw milk output is examined by technicians at the processing plant. This ensures that the milk is of the required quality and standards.

The milk is then stored in silos at a constant temperature of +4ºC before starting the processing procedure by being treated by pasteurisation. The pasteurisation process involves the milk being heat treated to destroy any harmful bacteria present in the raw milk.

The milk is then subjected to homogenisation which is a mechanical process where the milk fat is evenly distributed throughout the milk. Homogenisation gives milk a creamy taste and stops the fat from collecting along the top and sides of the bottle as cream.

After being treated by pasteurisation and homogenisation, the milk is packaged or formulated into other dairy products prior to being stored for distribution from the dairy to the sales depots.

The entire fleet of Al Ain Dairy vehicles is fitted with cooling units to enable the distribution of milk from the dairy to the sales depots and in turn to the retailers at the required temperature. Al Ain Dairy salesmen regularly monitor that retailers conform to the requirements of the cold chain by checking and inspecting the temperatures of the cold storage units used to display products to consumers and remedial action is taken in the event of non-conformance.

The cold chain process ultimately provides the consumer assurance and confidence that they are purchasing the freshest milk that has been produced, stored and distributed under the most hygienic and controlled conditions possible.

Purchasing

Streamlined and efficient Purchasing procedures ensure that Al Ain Dairy obtains the best quality raw materials and other production requirements in the most timely manner. Comparative pricing and evaluation is used in all purchases made by the dairy to guarantee procurements are being made at the most competitive prices possible.

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