Primary processing is the first stage in a food manufacturing plant, where incoming raw materials are received, inspected, and prepared for further processing. Typical operations include cleaning, washing, sorting, grading, hulling, milling, slaughter, evisceration, filleting, and initial separation, transforming farm commodities into standardised intermediate materials. A flour mill’s intake, cleaning, and first break milling; an abattoir’s slaughter and carcass dressing; a cannery’s washing and grading lines are all primary processing. The stage sets the quality ceiling for everything downstream: contamination, damage, or poor grading here cannot be fixed later. Food safety controls concentrate on primary processing because microbial loads are highest on raw materials, making washing, temperature control, and hygienic handling at this stage critical to the safety of finished products.