F A C T O R Y
of hours by the bad publicity
surrounding a food scare, and
sometimes they simply do not
survive the experience.
Counting the cost
According to a study by Allianz
Global Corporate & Specialty, on
average, a major product recall
costs an estimated $3 million
dollars.
In a worst-case scenario, health
problems arising from foreign
bodies in food can lead to legal
actions, adding a further cost
burden over time. Implementing
a robust quality management
program that includes the
application of product inspection
technologies to detect and
remove physical contamination
at source is, therefore, a sound
investment.
Supporting
food safety
with inspection
technology
Inspection technologies must
keep pace with the needs of
modern food production: whether
it is a retailer’s desire to specify
a process for rejecting and
securing sub-standard products,
or a manufacturer that needs
to improve overall equipment
effectiveness (OEE).
Until recently, a common
challenge for metal detection
was the varying moisture or
salt content, or temperature, in
natural products such as meat
and poultry, dairy, and baked
goods, as it alters product signal
and increases the likelihood
of false rejects. In this case,
metal detectors that incorporate
a product signal suppression
technique can effectively cancel
out the product signal and
virtually eliminate false rejects.
Cancelling these product signals
or the effect of the package
makes it easier to detect metal
contaminants up to 50% smaller
than previously possible.
Recent innovations in x-ray
systems has improved detection
capabilities due to greater
sensitivity power. With features
such as diode technology and
a generator that automatically
adjusts the voltage and current
depending on the product to be
inspected, food manufacturers
can achieve high recognition
sensitivity for even the smallest
contaminants. Added benefits
such as automated product setup,
speeds up product changeovers,
dramatically decreasing the
chance of human error and greatly
reducing the number of false
rejects.
Digitalisation on
the rise
The constant trend towards
digitalisation is also driving the
collection and analysis of data as
a tool to support consumer safety
and effective brand protection.
Many modern inspection systems
are now equipped with interfaces
that enable data collection in
real time. In the case of a serious
incident, the production data
collected by product inspection
technology will provide vital
information about error sources
and potentially affected batches.
Thus, product recalls can be
carried out more easily and more
precisely. In cases of malicious
intervention post-production,
data like x-ray images can also
be used to protect manufacturers
by proving that goods left their
facility in perfect condition.
Advanced product
inspection is the key
Physical contamination continues
to be an extremely serious
issue, both in terms of consumer
health and brand reputation,
and effective counter-measures
need to keep pace as food,
packaging and production
trends change over time.
Advanced product inspection
technologies are available to
ensure that food manufacturers
meet regulatory, retailer and
consumer requirements, while
future-proofing processes as
they prepare for the more digital
factories of the future.
To learn more about foreign body
detection download the free white
paper:
www.mt.com/ensure-food-safety
24 FEBRUARY 2020
/ensure-food-safety
