Zone separation

A Dividing Wall

We have always felt that the best way of keeping nuts out of our Nut Segregated area is to build a wall between the nut side and the ‘non’-nut side. We did this in 1999, moving all but one of our 7 production lines together with all the associated Chocolate Pipework and Services such a move required. The wall is still our best form of ‘defence’ based on the simple fact that you can’t move people and nuts through it by accident! Obviously this has the effect of running 2 factories on one site with all the attendant costs this entails over and above the £1,000,000 we initially spent on the project.

Our Raw Material Suppliers

All Kinnerton raw material suppliers are risk assessed for their ability to supply safe ingredients to our factory. We do this either by auditing the supplier via our QA team or by a self declaration against our Supplier Specification Forms. Bear in mind we have over 200 ever changing ingredients in our business, coming from all over the world.

Sometimes we may only buy a few litres or a few kilos of an item such as Key Lime Flavour or Dried Blueberries, so we assess the risk and audit accordingly.

Notwithstanding any assessment or audit, we test all goods inwards for peanuts, hazelnuts and almonds (the only nuts that have a rapid protein test and are also the 3 of the largest nut allergens) to try and ensure that they are safe. This, of course, includes all the chocolate that we take in to the factory. Over and above this, we periodically audit our Liquid Chocolate intake for 9 Nut (Peanuts, Hazelnuts, Almonds, Pecans, Cashews, Pistachios, Brazil Nuts, Macadamias and Walnuts) DNA tests.

Clothing Regimes

Colour differentiation is the best way of ensuring people and ‘things’ stay visibly segregated. In the case of Clothing we have a full factory clothing regime change when passing between the 2 sides of the factory. Essentially, Yellow for Nuts and White for the Nut Segregated side. We also have different colour clothing for our engineers.