Concerns have been raised as foreign particles have been found in packets of sugar with the Fiji Sugar Corporation confirming that the black flakes are caramelized sugar that had escaped the dryer process and hard-stone like lumps are the deformed sugar crystals.
FSC’s CEO Graham Clark says they are setting out procedures to prevent such objects to be present in the product.
People are raising concerns as they are frequently finding these particles in packets of sugar. Legend FM News has also asked FSC for an explanation as to how such objects could end up in sugar packets and what measures are being taken to ensure this does not happen.
FSC’s Chief of Information and Commercial, Sachin Deo says they are reviewing the boiling formula to reduce the presence of non-ferrous residue or particles of metals and hard-lumps present in the final product and have installed liquor-screens to further reduce the presence of particles of metal.
He adds they are carrying out maintenance of drip-gate at fugal and are inspecting and repairing vibrating screen to reduce the transfer of sugar lumps and sugar flakes to the final product.
Deo says as part of their existing quality process, they have two sets of High Power High Gradient Rare Earth Magnet structure in place to capture metallic-filings which may have contaminated the sugar syrup from Juice Extraction till Crystallization.
He says the magnets are inspected and cleaned at every 3-hour interval and relevant logs are updated for record-keeping.
Meanwhile, Clark says their major export is bulk raw sugar which is not bagged and sent overseas for refining, and it is thus not the same as packed products which are subject to the quality controls.
He adds they export packed products to the Pacific Islands where Fiji sugar is in great demand and New Zealand is also a further market for packed product range.
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