T E S T I N G www.foodtechnology.co.nz 27 FOOD SAFETY STATS UP A D V E R T O R I A L Using Eriez® Metal Separators and Electromagnetic Feeders Almost 80 percent of the world’s almonds are produced in California, so it’s not surprising that California Gold Almonds (CGA) is using state-of-the-art operational procedures and equipment to harvest this popular crop. Helping CGA increase effi ciency and maintain product purity are a series of Eriez® 66C and 46C Electromagnetic Feeders, Model FF Metal Separators and Rare Earth (RE) plate and tube magnets. The Eriez equipment is installed at both of the company’s El Roya and Tenaya processing plants in Modesto, California. “Eriez helps us stay in compliance with the USDA and FDA, and it is a key for our BRC certifi cation,” says general manager Mick Tobin. “The equipment gives us a cut above in the almond industry and a competitive advantage from a technological standpoint. It allows us to build more effi cient processing lines, while reducing human touches of the almonds.” At CGA’s 7800 m2 El Roya plant, two Model FF Metal Separators and several Rare Earth (RE) Plate and Tube Magnets help detect and remove contamination from almonds destined for export. The Eriez equipment is installed on a main processing line conveying more than 9000 kg/h of almonds and a secondary line conveying 6800 kg/h. Meanwhile, at the 3250 m2 Tenaya facility designed for confectionary grade almond processing at the retail level, incoming raw almonds fall freely through a series of Eriez Model FF Metal Separators, which detect magnetic and non-magnetic metal contamination, even when embedded in the product. Metal contaminants are then rejected through the “Quick Flap” reject unit. Next, the 66C and 46C Hi-Vi Electromagnetic Feeders convey the precise amount of raw almonds - approximately 5500 kg/h - that pass through an optical sorting line and into the packaging process. The Eriez feeders feature a totally-enclosed patented magnetic drive and can feed practically any bulk material from micron size to bulky chunks. “We have the Eriez feeders and metal separators in strategic locations to help us monitor contamination and maintain accurate feed rates,” says Tobin. “I’ve been in the food processing business for more than 20 years and I’ve had a chance to see many different operations. I’ve been able to take my experience and Eriez technology to help maintain a highly effi cient processing operation here at CGA,” he says. CALIFORNIA GOLD ALMONDS SEE PRODUCT PURITY INCREASE Eriez Electromagnetic feeders working in tandem with Eriez Plate Magnets at CGA Food safety recalls appear to be growing in New Zealand, although public health offi cials are playing down any sign of a signifi cant increase. Statistics on the Food Standards Australia and New Zealand website show more than 30 product recalls last year, compared with 13 in 2013. Frozen berries and shaved ham were two of the last product recalls in 2015, with the former linked to Hepatitis A cases in New Zealand. But the full list contains food products like pasta, yoghurt, coconut juice, wine and chicken. New Zealand’s average of 23 food recalls annually over the past five years mostly involved food produced in New Zealand. MPI conducts more than a million tests every year of both imported and locally produced food, Deputy Director-General regulation and assurance Scott Gallacher says, and the recall system is working well. Last year’s recalls included products such as Beehive ham, Alpine brand and No Udder brand coconut yoghurt, Delmaine brand Beef and Tomato Ravioli, Weightwatchers brand chicken meals, Pheonix drinks, Bluebird brand potato chips, Boundary Road brand pale ale, Woolworths homebrand black olives, Te Chang and Xin-Peng-Lai brand bean curd products and Venerdi brand Toast Me organic sourdough glut en-free bread. This year’s list includes I Quit Sugar Superfood Protein Bali Mix, Garden of Life raw meal organic shakes, Woolworths loose leaf lettuce, Forever Young skinfood, Easy Cut shoulder ham and Westhaven Coconut Yoghurt natural and apricot fl avours. Most are for undeclared allergens and microbial contamination. In 2014, 863 reported outbreaks of foodrelated illness were reported…almost twothirds through contamination and a fi fth due to association with ‘unsafe sources’ including nine per cent related to raw milk. The Ministry of Health’s Institute of Environmental Science and Research (ESR) says nororvirus and camplylobacter were the most common pathogens identifi ed in foodborne outbreaks, involving food including poultry and dairy, oils and sugars. Professor Michael Baker of the University of Otago in Wellington says food recalls do not offer a reliable source of statistics because people often do not know what food has made them sick. A more telling measure is the number of foodborne diseases. The 109 foodborne disease outbreaks in 2014 included 332 hospitalisations and fi ve deaths, Baker says. Contaminated food in that year included chicken (47%) and dairy (23%), with root and leafy vegetables involved in outbreaks with the highest number of cases, but the “shocking fi gure” of 600 people getting sick every week from contaminated chicken is most concerning, particularly as most of the cases must be blamed on the consumer’s poor preparation and cooking. Current trends for fresh raw foods could mean an increase in diseases, Baker says. The recent versinia outbreak, linked to salad vegetables, affected 127 people with 38 needing hospital treatment. food recalls do not offer a reliable source of statistics because people often do not know what food has made them sick. A more telling measure is the number of foodborne diseases.
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