Instructions
You have been appointed as the environmental manager of Snackfoods Ltd. Read the description of the
company’s activities and answer the questions below.
Snackfoods Case Study
Introduction
Snackfoods Ltd is a food manufacturing organisation based in the North West of England. They
manufacture potato based snack foods that are bought by numerous retailers including a number of large
supermarket chains. The site employs 60 people and has a turnover of around £7 million per year.
The site is surrounded to the north and west by a new housing estate to the east by a playing field and to
the south by a major motorway.
There are five manufacturing departments:
• Goods in.
• Mixing/extrusion.
• Cooking.
• Coating.
• Packing.
Goods In
This area receives a number of raw materials including flour (which arrives in paper sacks each containing 10kg of
flour). The sacks are delivered on a pallet and shrink wrapped. Every pallet consists of a cardboard sheet at the base
and top. Vegetable fat is supplied in granular form and cooking oil is supplied in 10kg plastic drums.
The raw materials are then transferred by diesel powered forklift trucks to an unloading area where the waste
packaging is removed and placed into a single skip for disposal to landfill. The ingredients are poured into a large
open metal receptacle in a specified ratio and are the taken to the mixing/extrusion section of the factory.
In an outside area, close to goods in, is located the waste storage area which consists of three general
waste skips, a waste snack product skip and a fluorescent light tube coffin. Near to the waste storage area
is located a 2000 litre diesel tank, the diesel being used to power the forklift trucks used at the site. The
concrete on the floor near to the tank is heavily stained with diesel and you notice a surface water drainage
inlet 1 meter away from the fill point of the tank. The tank is not bunded.
Mixing/Extrusion
Staff in the mixing/extrusion department receive the receptacles with the ingredients and place it in the mixing
machine. Water is added as necessary to ensure that the correct mix consistency is gained. The mix is then passed to
the extrusion machine that produces a solid line of mix which is chopped into the required shape by a series of
compressed air knives at the end of the machine. The snacks then are moved by conveyor to the cooking department.
Cooking
The snacks then drop from the conveyor into crate. When a crate is full it is hand loaded into an oil fryer.
There are four fryers, each one is constantly filled with oil. When the oil is dirty it is poured into a drain which
it is assumed is foul water. An interceptor is present but has not been maintained for over 3 years. After
cooking, the snacks are removed from the fryer and placed on a conveyor where they enter the coating
department. Complaints have been received by nearby residents regarding the odour from the fryers.
Coating
The cooked snacks then pass through a spraying machine that coats them with flavouring. The machine is
also operated with compressed air. In order to stop contamination by the five flavours used, the flavourings
reservoir is cleaned with water prior to addition of a new flavouring mix.
Packing
The cooked snacks are then transferred by conveyor to an automated packing machine. The machine
fills each bag with 40g of snacks. 120 bags are then loaded by hand into cardboard boxes which are
sealed with tape and transferred to a warehouse prior to despatch to retailers. The site is known to use
over 60 tonnes of cardboard and bags for product packaging.
Questions
Question 1
Using the template below to record your answer, identify eight environmental aspects and associated impacts for
Snackfoods, then for each aspect and impact evaluate the risk using the numerical system below.
NOTE you must choose a different aspect for each row to gain the marks available.
Likelihood Factors
Likelihood Definition Score
Certain once a year 4
Probable An incident which is reasonably foreseeable 3
Possible An incident which may occur 2
Unlikely An incident which is extremely unlikely to occur 1
Consequence Factors
Consequence Definition Score
• High environmental impact and/or
• Is causing or may cause breach of law Severe 4
• Causing complaints and/or concern to stakeholders
• Medium environment impact and/or
• Small change causing breach of law Medium 3
• Small change of causing complaints or concerns of
stakeholders
• Slight environment impact
• Controlled by law but very unlikely to be a breach Low 2
• Highly unlikely to cause complaints and/or concern
to stakeholders
• Negligible environmental impact
Negligible • Not controlled by law 1
• No risk of complaints or concerns to stakeholders
Risk = Likelihood x Consequence
Coursework Assignment
No Aspect Impacts Risk Evaluation
L C R
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
Key: L = Likelihood , C = Consequence, R = Risk
• 8 marks are available for correct completion of the 8 relevant ‘aspect’ cells of the table (1 mark per cell).
• 8 Marks are available for correct completion of the 8 relevant ‘impact ‘cells of the table.
• 1 mark for the identification of an appropriate likelihood, consequence and risk number
Question 2
Based on the aspects and impacts evaluation prepare a report for management that identifies significant environmental
aspects of the business and describes how the associated significant impacts can be controlled.
(800 words maximum)
• 2 marks maximum for introduction
• 12 marks for description of aspect/impacts (2 maximum per aspect and impact)
• 12 marks per relevant practical method (2 maximum for each correct practical method)
Question 3
Your Director is concerned that the 2000 litre diesel tank presents a big risk to the nearby lake (which is designated
as a SSSI) due to the proximity of the surface water drainage inlet. Using the template below identify relevant risk
control measures using the source – pathway – target model as a framework for the controls.
Maximum of two marks per correctly completed cell (one per risk control measure).
Source Pathway Target
Technical
Procedural
Behavioural
Question 4
During an audit you identify that large quantities of controlled waste are present that are poorly managed.
Write a memo to your director on how the situation could be improved taking into account an overall waste
management strategy, legal requirements and the waste minimisation hierarchy.
(400 words maximum)
Two marks per correctly completed improvement measure to a maximum of 18 marks.