Babies are the most delicate and demanding group of consumers when it comes to nutrition, safety, and quality of the product. At our state-of-the-art Lapinlahti plant, exceptional quality standards are in place to guarantee the safest possible early life nutrition products and infant grade ingredients for our baby food customers.
All Valio infant grade ingredients and products are manufactured from fresh, unprocessed milk that is only pasteurized. This means that our products go through less heating and other processing compared to products that use powdered milk as raw material. In a less processed product, the nutrients are better preserved, risk of contamination is lower, and the taste is more natural.
In Lapinlahti, the whey does not travel far, as Valio cheese factory is located on the same property. All whey used in Lapinlahti processes is delivered from the cheese factory in a closed system, so we have full control over the quality chain. The whey is fresh and unprocessed, and no contamination from human intervention can happen.
All milk batches used in Valio processes are carefully logged into the system and can be traced back to the farm of origin at any point. As all milk is tested on arrival at the plant, quality issues with raw material very rarely occur. Yet, in such occurrence, our fully transparent production and quality chain guarantees quick and accurate corrective measures.
The tracing system at Lapinlahti plant is regularly tested in traceability exercises and mock recalls, as required by the FSSC 22000 certification.
All milk batches used in Valio processes can be traced back to the farm of origin at any point.
Our plant is located in the town of Lapinlahti, in Eastern Finland. This part of the country is known as the heartland of Finnish dairy farming. The average distance that milk has to travel from farm to plant is 67 kilometres. Short distances help preserve not only the environment but also the taste and microbiological quality of the milk.
The area is far away from major cities, heavy industry, and heavy traffic. In the cool Finnish climate, little pesticides are needed in feed production. The use of genetically modified GM feed is not permitted at Valio dairy farms. The air the cows breathe, the feed they eat, and the water they drink is exceptionally clean. As a result, all the milk we use is of the highest quality and free from impacts of pollution and pesticides, and it tastes fresh and clean.
Lapinlahti plant has all the basic dairy processes needed, but to take high quality and added value to the next level, we have invested in major improvements over the years. The latest investment is the new dry blend facility and tin can packing line. The new facilities are designed safety and hygiene first, with easy-to-clean surfaces and safety measures to prevent cross contamination.
We have carefully considered the production flow on the entire property, and many of our crucial processes are automated. This improves production efficiency, hygiene, and safety, and helps lessen environmental impact and the risk of human error.
All our operations are compliant with ISO 14001 Environmental Management System standard, ISO 9001 Quality Management System standard, and the FSSC 22000 certification. All analytics for the end products are carried out by an accredited research laboratory in compliance with ISO 17025 standard.
At Lapinlahti plant, every member of our staff has at least a basic training in food manufacturing or a related field. All employees also have a Finnish food hygiene certificate. At Valio, we share a deep commitment to the high quality and safety of our products, and we cannot wait to welcome our customers back to our plant to proudly demonstrate that commitment.
Strict COVID19 protective measures are in place at Lapinlahti plant to safeguard the continuity of production. To keep production in full capacity and to guarantee full safety of our products, we are limiting outside access to the plant. Audits are conducted remotely, whenever possible. We have many physical distancing measures in place, including walls and separate work spaces.
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For more information, please contact our food solutions team.