www.foodtechnology.co.nz 21
Food producers fight contamination on two levels
– firstly on a particle or sub-particle level where
contamination is often bacterial and, in other
cases, can be relatively benign but unwanted
(such as the ubiquitous tiny particles of plastic
reportedly common in bottled water). The second
level is termed foreign bodies. There is a fine
line between the two, with foreign bodies being
larger – more than 2mm is one rule of thumb
for producers, with more than 7mm being an
established size based on potential damage of a
hard object to a non-risk group. Foreign bodies
are extrinsic (entering the food somewhere
along the journey from farm to fork, such as a
bolt) or intrinsic (for example, bone fragments in
meat). The sources can be manifold: stones in
vegetables; pests such as insects and rodents;
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residual food waste; broken machine parts; and
even intentional sabotage. The means taken
to prevent foreign bodies are implemented at
different stages of food processing - mechanical
means including filters, magnetic extractors
and screens or detection devices such as x-ray,
and metal detectors. Consumer safety and food
processors’ reputations depend on this. Another
aspect of the control of foreign bodies is correctly
designing or selecting the spaces, equipment
and materials that come into contact with food
during its processing. This can mean covering
open areas in factories to prevent foreign bodies
dropping into food in process, and in the context
of conveyors, using belting materials that do not
fragment easily. Viking Conveyor has introduced
a number of products over the years manufactured
by Volta Belting Technology - the world
pioneer of thermoplastic belting - to assist in this
direction. Volta has released a series of unique
food grade metal detectable flat and positive
drive belts. In the unlikely event of a major
piece of belt breaking off, this can be picked up
downstream by metal detection systems. With
the recent occurrence of needles appearing in
strawberries, more and more processors in New
Zealand are working together to implement this
technology. Viking has built a reputation for technical
competence both in an advisory capacity,
and on site…bringing the best belting to ensure
safer produce reaches the market. Volta’s unique
products and Viking’s unparalleled service can
help you deliver cost-efficient safety.
BEST BELTING FOR
SAFER PRODUCE
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