Page 43 - Food&Drink Magazine October 2018

“A needle is probably one of the hardest things to detect, depending on its orientation,” Thermo Fisher’s marketing manager for food, beverage and dairy Alison Digney says.
“Entry level priced metal detector models are a manageable purchase for most producers, but they also need to be aware of the limitations of that level of technology.”
The company sells both types of solutions, and metal detectors are generally less expensive than X-ray technology, but the latter has advantages such as being able to detect objects like rocks, plastic, wire and glass fragments, according to Digney.
“If you’re looking beyond the current strawberry crisis, over the long-term, some producers may find X-ray technology suits their business better than a metal detector.
“At the moment we are offering lots of education – that’s our focus right now – to
guide producers so they don’t run out and invest in technology today that doesn’t help them outside of this current crisis.”
With this in mind, Thermo Fisher Scientific has created an ebook called A Practical Guide to Metal Detection and X-ray Inspection of Food that compares the pros and cons of the different technologies.
DOWNSTREAM DILEMMA
The general manager of product inspection systems provider AccuPak, Auke De Ruyter De Wildt, noted that even the best systems can’t protect the
industry from contamination beyond the point of production. They do, however, enable producers to prove the contamination didn’t originate in their production processes.
“If anything, they act as a relatively affordable insurance policy of sorts in the event some deranged individual decides to spike products with contaminants at point of sale,” he says.
“Being able to report that the source of contamination did not originate from your production line will insulate your products from being included in trade or retail recalls.”
The Fortress Interceptor metal detector uses multi-frequency technology.
to handling a metal contamination food recall that covers the different factors that leave companies vulnerable to a recall – even those that have inspection equipment in place. The report covers important variables in the effective use of a metal detector, such as the different types of metals, the flow and shape of products being tested, and the ratio of the metal detector aperture to the size of the product. ✷
HYGIENE & SAFETY
$1.00 Anyfoodrecallincidentisa crisis situation that requires quick action to mitigate any
long-standing financial and reputational damage, according to De Ruyter De Wildt.
PRICES PER PUNNET The DiverseCo-owned
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company, which represents the Fortress Interceptor metal detector in Australia, has published its own report Guide
Head Office:
Unit 20, 51 Kalman Drv Boronia VIC 3155
Ph: 03 9017 8225 Fax: 03 9729 9604
NSW Ph: 02 8197 2825 WA Ph: 08 6364 0205 QLD Ph: 07 3333 2825
www.ams-ic.com.au sales@ams-ic.com.au
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Oxygen Analysers, Relative Humidity Sensors and Meters, Dewpoint Measurement
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www.foodanddrinkbusiness.com.au | October 2018 | Food&Drink business | 43