Guyana’s very own Morning Glory Rice Cereal

Oct 09, 2017 News

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…Aiming to raise the Bar and Fly the Golden Arrowhead High

 

Since the 1860s, cereal has been considered one of the greatest equalizer breakfasts. From then to now, the global market has been awash with a variety of such products. Guyana has been no exception in this regard. In fact, foreign, ready-to-go cereals have dominated the local scene for some time. It appears however that the long-awaited Morning Glory Rice Cereal is poised to raise the bar and fly the Golden Arrowhead high beyond these shores.

THE PRODUCT
Remarkable is how one would easily describe this product after a sample of it.
The product’s flawless, world-class packaging, taste profile, texture and impressive nutritional profile also add to its general appeal.
Based on information provided by the IAST, this rice cereal has a superior nutritional profile to several of the other well-known brands in the market, such as Kelloggs, Kashi, Nature Valley, General Mills, Sunshine Snacks and others. Furthermore, the cereal is fortified with an impressive vitamin profile: one serving of the Morning Glory Rice Cereal provides a full quarter of the daily recommended intake of vitamins.
The Kaieteur News is not the only one to greet the product with approbation. Since October 4, 2017, the facility has been supplying the National School Feeding program with approximately 400 kg of cereal on a weekly basis (that is almost half a ton of cereal) and the children who currently receive the cereal rank it higher than all the other snacks which form a part of the weekly menu.

At a time when Guyana is importing milk from tiny Barbados and packaged coconut from other countries, among a host of other imported value added packaged food products, it is indeed gratifying to see the words “Product of Guyana” on the box of this product which is certain to soon adorn the shelves of stores across the Caribbean region.
Several members of the Guyana Manufacturing and Services Association (GMSA) agree that this cereal joins the small group of truly exceptional home-grown products such as El Dorado rum, in flying the Golden Arrowhead high.
It is appropriate also, that the product is being officially launched during the month of October – Agriculture Month. Importantly, this product adds significant value to its main ingredient: rice. According to Professor Narine, the product allows 17 – 20 times the value of rice to be added, which means that this value is then distributed along the value chain in Guyana, rather than such products being produced from Guyana’s rice in other countries.

THE PROCESS
As is summarized in a YouTube video titled “Morning Glory Cereal,” (https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=F3w7nS-m-TE) which was locally produced by cinematographer Noel Harlequin and Dr. Paloma Mohammed, Deputy Vice Chancellor of the University of Guyana, the process of production is aptly described as extraordinary.
The modern plant, which was procured in China, after extensive testing by IAST staff, assisted by engineer Aubrey Retemyer, ensures that all surfaces which come into contact with the cereal is made of food grade stainless steel. The process utilizes 99% raw materials which are produced in Guyana – indeed, of the list of ingredients which include broken rice, rice bran, sugar and molasses, only salt, baking soda and the fortifying vitamin cocktail is imported.

 

The broken rice is further milled into rice flour in a process which is relatively quiet and creates no dust pollution, and this is then mixed with fresh sifted rice bran, sugar, baking soda and salt in a high speed mixer. From this point onwards, the entire process is automated until the cereal is automatically packaged.
Workers in the plant, who are only needed to process the raw materials, monitor the quality of the cereal as it is produced as well as ensure that the plant environment is kept scrupulously clean; follow a strict regimen of hygienic controls.
According to Professor Narine, no jewelry, cell phones, pens and other implements which can get into or contaminate the food product is allowed in the plant. Workers enter the plant only after they have showered in the facility and changed into medical scrubs, hairnets, gloves, shoes and face masks supplied by the facility.
Any worker leaving the confines of the ultra-clean processing area is required to again, shower before re-entering the processing area. Office staff, guards and other employees are not allowed into the processing section of the facility. In fact, they are prevented from doing so by locked doors with restricted access.
All staff allowed in the processing area is required to have undergone the Authorized Food Handlers Course, complete an exhaustive medical disclosure questionnaire, must get six monthly health checks, and are mandated to immediately report any health problems to management, so that the facility’s focus on food safety and security can be maintained. All clothing worn in the processing area are freshly washed and ironed on a daily basis, with workers being assigned several changes of clothing and personalized lockers to facilitate the process.
The processing area can be viewed by visitors and office staff, without breaking the hygiene controls, through view windows constructed specifically for this purpose. Professor Narine explained that the design flow of the facility was motivated in part by the design of several food plants he worked in for M&M Mars in the United States and internationally, in research and development. He was also loud in praise for Mr. Sewpersaud Manohar, the Head of the Food and Feed Department at the IAST, who he credits as the inventor of the Cereal and who had extensive input into the design of the final plant.
The process generates no waste – any cereal which is rejected due to quality deviations or over supply is fed to local pigs through relationships established by the facility with local livestock farmers. The facility has a strict quality control system: cereals are assessed on the basis of shape integrity, coating integrity, colour, degree of caramelization, amount of product dust, integrity of packaging, etc. The facility itself is kept in an ultra clean state, with the plant being thoroughly cleaned after every production shift, and complete line preventative maintenance being performed weekly.
The plant has the capacity to produce 200 kg of cereal in an hour, so that if three shifts are employed, it is possible to produce 1, 000 metric tonnes of cereal in a calendar year. Professor Narine indicated that one would never want to run the facility that hard, so that 800 metric tonnes is a more realistic figure. Due to the amount of rice in the cereal, this is very nearly a demand of 800 metric tonnes of rice in a year, when the plant is operated at maximum capacity.

THE LONG WAIT
The project, which was launched by the PPP administration in March of 2015, has taken two and a half years to complete. Plagued during its early stages by a variety of bureaucratic and administrative challenges, the product has nevertheless been impressively delivered by the Institute of Applied Science and Technology (IAST).
During an interview with Kaieteur News, Professor Suresh Narine who serves as the Director of the IAST was adamant on offering his apologies to the Guyanese public and the residents of Region Two.
He said, “As the person who was entrusted with delivering this project, ultimately I shoulder the sole blame for its late delivery. We have learnt a lot during this project and this will stand us in good stead as we pursue other transformative, commercial projects over the next few years.”
That said, the noted academic leader who is world-renowned for his work in Biomaterials, thanked the former PPP/C administration for its vision in investing in the project, and the current Coalition administration for its political maturity in continuing the project.
“I am heartened,” he said, “by the fact that despite this transformative project being launched by the previous administration, it was and is well supported by the current administration. This kind of political maturity bodes well for our country and shows that cooperation and sound political decision making is possible across the political divide, which is a situation that always adduce to the benefit of the population.”
In particular, Narine singled out former President Donald Ramotar; former Minister of Tourism, Trade and Commerce, Irfaan Ali; Minister of State, Joe Harmon; Minister of Social Protection Amna Ally and Minister of Business, Dominic Gaskin for their role in enabling the project to come to fruition.
During his visit to the facility, Minister Harmon was loud in praise.
He stated, “I am impressed and I think there is great capacity to take other raw materials produced by our farmers and take it to the next level and capture markets. I think other parts of Guyana can benefit from this.”
“We have come to a stage where it is in production and as you quite rightly said, we can start to show a profit. The other thing is that you are providing employment for the people in Region Two and it is a good model, where you actually take a science-based produce and then create a business opportunity and allow the community to benefit from it. I think this is excellent work and I believe that this is what needs to be understood. When we invest, this is what we should get. Guyanese should be proud to know that this is what is being produced.”

MARKETS/ HURRICANE RELIEF
In addition to bulk cereals supplied to the National School Feeding Program, the IAST has designed single-serve packaging which is currently being assessed by the Guyana Defense Force and the Guyana Prisons Service.
The IAST has also approached the Minister of Health, Volda Lawrence, Minister within the Ministry of Health, Dr. Karen Cummings as well as the Minister of Indigenous Peoples’ Affairs, Sydney Allicock and the Minister within the Ministry of Indigenous Peoples’ Affairs, Valerie Garrido-Lowe for consideration of utilization of the product at the nation’s hospitals and Amerindian Hostels.
Products will also be placed on the shelves of supermarkets across the nation at the beginning of November. The IAST is currently in negotiations with several well-known local and regional distributors.
Regional distribution is also expected before the end of the year. Despite the superior packaging and clear product attributes, the IAST doesn’t expect the product to retail for more than $650 to $700 per 225g box (containing five servings).
The Institute will also seek institutional markets across the region for armed forces, hospitals, schools, etc. Narine was optimistic that such institutional markets would be possible to tap, given the product’s nutritional profile, preferable pricing structure and the fact that it is solely produced in a CSME country.
During Harmon’s visit to the facility, a decision was also jointly taken by the Minister and Professor Narine for 20, 000 225g packets of the cereal to be donated to the nation’s hurricane relief efforts. This will be at a cost of approximately $8 million.

IAST AND OTHER PROJECTS
Suresh Narine, Director of the IAST, is adamant that any credit for the facility accrues to a dedicated, committed and talented staff at the Institute, led by Deputy Director Mr. Deonarine Jagdeo.
He pointed out that in a project so large, everyone among the institute’s small staff (the institute has 15 technical staff members) has to play a role. He was loud in praise for the technical as well as accounting and administrative staff of the institute.
“I have been fortunate to lead large projects in several countries in the world and can say without any fear of contradiction that the current IAST staff is among the very best with whom I have been honoured to work.”
Recently, the IAST has also spearheaded several other transformative projects. They have launched the Rupununi Essence brand of luxury facial cleansers on behalf of the Makushi people of Region nine and the Pakaraima Flavours brand of Sundried Tomato Salad Dressings and Condiments on behalf of the Patamona people of Region Eight.

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