5 common inspection and detection challenges
Having effective inspection in place in your food manufacturing business is key to keeping your products contaminant-free. By doing so, you can help to reduce costs associated with waste and product recall, prevent customer complaints, and meet the regulations required of your business.
However, having watertight inspection practices isn’t always easy, and detection can come with its own set of obstacles that you need to overcome. Fortunately, most can be solved by spending time researching the right solutions for your production line and understanding what issues to look out for when it comes to checking your applications.
We have listed the five most common inspection and detection challenges the food industry faces that you need to address.
Remember, if you have detection issues that persist, we may be able to help you to find the solution – get in touch with our experts.
- Detecting the undetectable
- Finding a “fits all” solution
- Having trained staff
- Getting paperwork and audibility in place
- Preventing additional contamination within the production line
Detecting the undetectable
While some contaminants are easy to find – particularly those with a high density or that are easily visible, such as metals and stones – others are harder to detect. Unwelcome additions like bones, dirt, and chemical contaminants are among these hard-to-find objects, but being able to identify them is essential to keeping your products safe.
Some detection systems – such as X-ray inspection – have the added benefit of being able to detect a broader range of contaminants across a variety of applications. However, even with these systems, it cannot catch everything, which is why it’s essential to ensure you have thorough inspection practices that cover every contaminant that could appear within your products.
This means spending time looking at your processes and product to work out what contaminants you need to be checking and then researching what the right solution for you is.
Finding a “fits all” solution
When it comes to finding the perfect solution for your in-house inspection and detection procedures, the right fit will depend on precisely what products you are dealing with on a daily basis. The chances are your product will be susceptible to multiple contaminants both before and during the manufacturing process, so you will need to fit a solution that addresses each.
While there are many systems for inspection out there, not all of them will be appropriate for the contaminants you need to detect in your business. Metal detection systems, for example, are great for locating metal parts into your business, but will not help you to identify non-metal contaminants. Checkweighers can allow you to accurately find contaminants by highlighting inconsistent weights when unrequired objects have made their way into your product, but they cannot account for lighter substances that do not affect weight. X-ray can apply to a variety of different contaminants, but even so, cannot identify every single possibility. That is why it may be necessary for some businesses to combine different inspection systems together to shape a robust procedure.
Other best practices for your inspection process is likely to include manual checking and cleaning of products, testing, and sampling of products. These should all be incorporated into your processes so that you are left with an effective end-to-end solution that addresses all the inspection requirements your production line needs to meet.
Having properly trained staff
Even with the right inspection systems installed into your production line, your detection procedures will only be efficient if your staff are trained to carry them out properly. When you define the inspection process for your business, make sure to communicate it with your team and bring them on board with what contaminants to look out for and how to do so.
If you are installing new inspection systems, it is essential to make sure that the appropriate staff know how to use them. For example, with x-ray inspection, you will need to appoint a Radiation Protection Supervisor who will ensure you are meeting the necessary regulations and safety measures involved with x-ray. Any inspection system you use should have designated staff who can use it, and these staff members should have full training in how to use it. And, beyond this, all your team should know the basic inspection practices that might come into their roles.
If you need help in providing training for your staff, Yamato can be of assistance. With production demonstrations on our inspection systems and other training programs available, you can make sure your team is well equipped for your food inspection practices. Regular training and retraining is of paramount importance.
Getting paperwork and audibility in place
In modern manufacturing, documentation and audibility are required – and this should be the case with your inspection practices. Although paperwork is rarely the highlight of anyone’s working day, having it in place can make business operations easier.
Documentation that you should have in place includes manuals and instructional guides for employees undertaking inspection, including your inspection systems (your supplier should be able to provide these); inspection forms and checklists to solidify your procedures; documentation detailing which staff members are trained to carry out your detection processes; and, finally, a log of inspection so that you can trace how and when your products have been checked should you need it.
It is also essential to make sure that the documentation you need is digitalized, as opposed to only having hard copies. By doing so, you can ensure all relevant parties can easily access it. Similarly, you should also make sure that the staff who need to use or fill in this documentation know how to do so and can find the paperwork as and when it is required.
Preventing additional contamination within the production line
When it comes to contamination, there will be times when it is out of your control – for example, contaminants that appear prior to the product reaching your production line or from external sources.
However, you can control contamination that occurs within your manufacturing and warehousing facilities. During the manufacturing process, your product may be exposed to different substances and objects. By minimizing this exposure, you can reduce the internal contamination and make inspection easier further down the line.
One way you can reduce contamination is to maintain good hygiene practices in your business. This means regular and thorough cleaning of your machines and storage facilities, that your staff are aware of and abiding by best hygiene practice (such as wearing hairnets, social distancing and washing hands) and that your products are being stored and handled efficiently. By doing so, you can reduce contamination from the likes of dirt and chemicals, as well as cross-contamination if you deal with more than one product within the same facilities.
Another common contaminant in the food industry is metals. One way in which metal can enter your products is via broken or loose parts from the machines in your production line. Similarly, ineffective machines can cause issues within your manufacturing and inspection processes that can lead to increased contamination. By having a maintenance plan in place, you can identify and fix any machines in good time before they cause an issue, allowing you to reduce this contamination risk.
While there are obstacles that can make inspection and detection within the food industry challenging, these can primarily be addressed by having good internal practices, the right systems in place, and the required training and paperwork to back it up. With such a robust environment, you can reap the rewards of reduced costs, fewer product recalls, happier customers, and an improved reputation.
If you are looking for the right systems to address your inspection challenges, get in touch today to find out about the products and services Yamato can provide to assist.