Reducing vulnerability to contamination in the food processing industry
Physical contamination of food can occur during any stage of production , and can have far-reaching impacts across the globe . Contaminants in food can originate from many sources ; stones or bone fragments may be present in agricultural ingredients , while pieces of metal , plastic , glass or wood can enter products during processing . Allowing these issues to go unnoticed not only puts the health of consumers at risk , but can also be devastating to a brand ’ s reputation , resulting in product recalls and serious financial consequences . Preventing these downstream effects is essential , but how do food manufacturers eliminate the threat of foreign objects ?
THE COST OF CONTAMINATION
Food contamination poses a significant risk to public health , so government agencies – such as the US Food and Drug Administration and the European Food Safety Authority – have published strict regulatory guidelines to minimize consumer exposure to health hazards . Ensuring food safety requires manufacturers to take several steps , from putting in place adequate quality control procedures and optimal hygiene standards , to correctly packaging and labelling products and using reputable suppliers for distribution and sales .
Failure to adhere to these steps could result in physical contaminants reaching consumers , putting them in danger of choking , injury , or exposure to microbes accumulated during processing . When faulty or unsafe products end up on the shelves , they must immediately be withdrawn from the market , but this process can be very costly and put the reputation of manufacturers at risk . It is therefore essential that companies implement an efficient food safety plan – based on the principles of hazard analysis critical control point ( HACCP )
– to identify hazards , limit exposure of food items to sources of contamination , thoroughly inspect products , and develop corrective actions in the event of a contamination event .
PREVENTING AND DETECTING CONTAMINANTS
Preventive control points for food should be introduced after each major processing step , as well as at the end of the production line , to ensure that finished food products remain contaminant free as they enter the supply chain . This requires installation of the latest technologies that can accurately differentiate between contaminants , food and packaging materials . For example , metal detectors can identify metallic contaminants at almost any stage of production , while X-ray systems can detect both metallic and non-metallic contaminants in packaged products . Thermo Fisher Scientific is a leading supplier of product inspection solutions , and offers a wide range of detection platforms to suit a variety of applications , as well as comprehensive industry experience and expertise .
CHOOSING THE RIGHT TOOLS FOR THE JOB
Purpose-designed metal detectors – like those in the Thermo Scientific™ Sentinel™ range – use electromagnetic induction to identify ferrous , nonferrous and stainless steel components in finished food products , overcoming the challenges of product effect and
Ensuring food safety requires manufacturers to take several steps , from putting in place adequate quality control procedures and optimal hygiene standards , to correctly packaging and labelling products and using reputable suppliers for distribution and sales .
noise . Conversely , X-ray systems – such as those in the Thermo Scientific™ NextGuard™ range – can penetrate
product packaging to produce a crosssectional image of the contents within , detecting a variety of foreign materials , such as metal , glass , plastic , stone and bone . These dedicated , state-of-the-art solutions offer manufacturers the tools they need to detect foreign objects in food products , providing an added layer of confidence that all foreign objects have been identified and removed , and safeguarding consumers against harmful contamination .
For more information about Sentinel metal detectors , visit : https : / www . thermofisher . com / order / catalog / product / SENTINEL5000
For more information about NextGuard X-ray detection systems , visit : https : / www . thermofisher . com / order / catalog / product / NEXTGUARDC330
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