Duration : 1999 - 2001

The project was developed in two plants in Rio Grande (Brazil) and in seven plants in Mar del Plata (Argentina). The main problems affecting the fishery sector in both towns were related to an increasing international competition and to the development of the domestic and regional markets, for which they are not prepared. Therefore, the measures required to deal with the problems in both towns included the identification of markets possibilities and product development according to market expectations, as well as the modernization of plants.

The main components of the project were:

1) Development of value added products;
With the utilization of different seafood processing machines, seventeen different Value Added Products were developed (i.e breaded frozen shrimp, fresh white fish package in Protected Atmosphere, anchovy marinated in PA packages, different types of canned tuna salad, frozen breaded fish balls etc.)
All these products were analysed as for their economical feasibility on an industrial production scale.
2) Assistance in the implementation of quality control systems, including:
- Training Courses/Seminars for plants staff
- Motivation sessions for plant workers. 120 workers were trained
- Re-design of the HACCP Plans, in accordance with the new Value Added Product development.
- development of training practices for workers, including the preparation of the manual for workers (“Manual para Trabajadores”)
3) Assistance in the preparation of investment programmes for the participating companies;
Specific investment projects tailored to the needs of participating companies in both cities were carried out at the end of the project