From the moment the raw material enters the factory right up until the carefully packaged cooked ham is sent to the distributors,
it undergoes a meticulous process that is the perfect combination of the wisdom of tradition and the very latest technological innovations. All with the aim of ensuring the best quality at all times.
In the video, you can see some of the key moments in the production process of LA SELVA products.
HOW DO YOU TELL THE BEST COOKED HAM?
There are four rules that, with a bit of practice, tell you how to recognise cooked ham made traditionally:
Take the test with any LA SELVA cooked ham: discover the differences that make LA SELVA cooked ham an exceptional product.
To make the best cooked ham, you only need 4 essential ingredients: ham, water, salt and a little sugar.
The selection of the raw material is very strict [temperature control, visual examination of the piece, pH value (degree of acidity) and the colour of the muscles]. The brine is prepared with basic components: water, salt and a little sugar. Once the piece has been selected and the brine prepared, it is injected manually through the main artery of the ham so that it spreads throughout it to all the muscles in the leg. The process of osmosis begins and the brine spreads uniformly through the whole of the meat. Maturing then starts in airing rooms, where the ham is completely at rest and begins to develop its characteristic aroma, bouquet and colour. The ham is boned without losing the structure of the whole piece. The fat and connective tissue are also removed. It is packaged in a plastic bag and placed in a mould, which will give the product its shape, or packaged in a tin, and cooked slowly. Once cooked and cooled:
| STANDARD | TRADITIONAL LA SELVA |
|||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Made with pieces of pork ham. | 1 | Meticulous selection of the raw material | |
| 2 | Mechanical injection of brine. | 2 | The whole leg is used. | |
| 3 | The brine contains ingredients that are not essential for making ham: flavourings, gelling agents, flavour enhancers, etc. | 3 | Manual injection, piece by piece, in the main artery of the ham. | |
| 4 | Boned at the start of the process. |
4 | The brine is made with basic ingredients: water, salt and a little sugar. | |
| 5 | Intense and accelerated massage in drums. | 5 | The bone is retained, as it gives more flavour and aroma, until the time the piece is packaged. | |
| 6 | Produced in 24-48 hours. | 6 | Long maturing. | |
| 7 | Gelling agents and flavourings are usually added. The final texture is more rubbery and the taste is not as natural. | 7 | Produced in eight days. | |
| 8 |
|
8 | Natural meat flavour and slightly fibrous texture characteristic of cooked meat. | |
Health Safety System developed by members of the German Federation of Retailers for food supplier audits. It aims to harmonise technical requirements regarding the hygiene and safety of food that is produced.
Health Safety System developed by retail and specific distributors for the agricultural food industry.
One of the principal aims of the IFS and BRC Standards is to set levels of compliance with regard to health and hygiene requirements geared towards the handling of food for human consumption, comprising measures aimed at minimising the risks of food contamination. These requirements have been globally accepted as valid and taken by supermarkets as specific mandatory requirements to be able to supply white line products (fundamentally, although not exclusively).
Compliance with the IFS and BRC standards means having an effective food safety system based on the APPCC format and a complete product and process control system, working with trained personnel and under appropriate conditions.
The ISO 9001 is an international standard that applies to quality management systems (QMS) and that focuses on all the quality administration elements that a company should possess to have an effective system that enables it to administer and improve the quality of its products or services.
The ISO 9001 is an international standard that applies to quality management systems (QMS) and that focuses on all the quality administration elements that a company should possess to have an effective system that enables it to administer and improve the quality of its products or services.
Thanks to the implementation of a Quality Management System in line with the UNE-EN ISO 9001 standardUNE-EN ISO 9001, an organisation shows its ability to provide products or services that consistently meet customer requirements and the applicable regulations, and its commitment to continuous improvement.
It is regulated by RD 265/2008Royal Decree 265/2008, which created the Framework List of Registered Outlets for the export of meat and meat products, a register attached to and managed by the Directorate General for Livestock (MARM).
Although the Framework List is a voluntary register, it is aimed at meat and meat products outlets seeking to export their products outside the EU and to be included in negotiations of health agreements between the national authorities and other countries. The aims of this set-up include fostering exports of meat and meat products by increasing health guarantees to other countries, ensuring streamlining and transparency in the administrative process of inclusion on the list, reinforcing health safety and aiding compliance with food legislation.
Catalan Council of Organic Production: organic certification ensures that the products have been produced or made following organic farming standards and that they have been monitored throughout the whole of their production, packaging and commercialisation process.
Produced organic products are vegetable and animal agricultural products processed using techniques that minimise forms of contamination and loss of quality, restricting the use of additives and technological auxiliaries.
CUSTOMER SERVICE
