ISO 9001 certification: From orange grove to glass
Orange juice resurgence to boost immune system
There has been a recent resurgence in the consumption of orange juice due to the Covid-19 pandemic and the benefits of helping to support the immune system. To support the increased demand, ISO 9001 Quality Management System has helped to better structure and document processes and records to ensure that requirements are met and that opportunities are realised.
ISO 9001 actually helps the Florida citrus industry throughout the entire process of making orange juice!
Florida produces more than 70 percent of the United States’ supply of citrus
Central Florida is one of the world’s major locations for providing the orange juice that many of you enjoy on your morning breakfast table. Citrus was first brought to the Americas by Cristopher Columbus in 1493. In the mid-1500s, an early Spanish explorer planted the first citrus trees in an area now known to be St. Augustine, Florida. The sandy soil and sub-tropical climate enabled the trees to thrive and soon were spread to more areas throughout Florida. Citrus has been a major crop for domestic and international sales and accounts for approximately 9 billion dollars a year of economic impact while employing around 50,000 people.
We are highlighting two companies in Central Florida that play a major role in the production of orange juice. These are JBT Corporation headquartered in Lakeland, Florida and Johnson Harvesting located in Wauchula, Florida. They both use ISO 9001 quality management systems to help meet customer/internal requirements and continual improvement opportunities using Auva Certification as their trusted registrar.
With over 75% of the world’s citrus juices produced with their technology, JBT is recognised globally as the leader in citrus processing solutions. Their renowned Citrus Extractor is the heart of any citrus processing system; however, they provide solutions for virtually every part of the citrus production process: fruit storage, receiving and handling, juice room equipment, citrus pulp processing, not-from-concentrate production, frozen concentrated juice production, peel/waste processing and more. From beginning to end, they are involved right down the line. JBT products benefits its clients by ensuring that one can achieve the optimal balance to meet yield expectations, quality and throughput goals while ensuring food safety, extending the shelf-life of products and producing at the lowest possible per unit cost.
Johnson Harvesting is a grower, harvester, caretaker and hauler of Florida oranges. Steve Johnson, owner of Johnson Harvesting has spent his lifetime in the business. What began with his grandfather as a small farming business has grown through hard work and tenacity into a large citrus operation in Central Florida. Johnson Harvesting not only harvests their own groves but also the groves of many farms in Central and South Florida. Most of the oranges that are harvested are trucked to one of the seven major juice processors in Florida. Every year there are more challenges facing everyone in the citrus industry especially growers and harvesters. There are environmental issues such as greening, water supply, government regulations and threat of hurricanes. Labour issues include a dwindling supply of domestic workers and increased government red tape.
So, the next time that you pick up a carton of orange juice at the supermarket you will know that ISO 9001 certification was involved from the growth and harvest of the orange to the processing, packaging and delivery to wherever you are!
Brad Klapprott works across North and South America supporting the growth of Auva in the USA and Florida in particular.
To contact Auva North America and Latin America email: brad@auvacertification.com
