Common contaminants in the food industry
In the food manufacturing industry, contamination is a barrier that many businesses have to overcome on a daily basis. During the manufacturing process, food products can come into contact with several different contaminants that can compromise their quality – and any reputable business needs to do their best to detect and remove them.
Contamination of your products can come with many consequences. It can mean your business is not meeting industry standards, thereby harming your reputation; it can lead to harm to your customers and increased customer complaints; and, finally, it can lead to increase costs for your business through wastage, fines and product recalls.
We have already spoken about how vital effective inspection is in eliminating contamination in your workplace. In this guide, we are listing the most common contaminants that the food industry faces in their production so that you know what to look out for in your day-to-day operations, and how to remove them.
Metal
One of the most common contaminants in products is metal. There are many ways these could enter your food products, ranging from broken pieces from machinery during production (something which an equipment maintenance plan can reduce the risk of) and all the way to lost jewellery from product handlers.
Metals are some of the most potentially harmful contaminants in your food products: if left undetected, they have a real chance of causing harm to your customers, which can lead to increased complaints, lawsuits, and fines. Luckily, metals are also one of the easiest contaminants to detect. Metal detector systems are one solution to identifying metal in your products, using technology to detect these contaminants and allow you to remove them before completion. These detectors can also be used across a wide range of applications so that they will be suitable for most food products. Other solutions for metal detection in your products include x-ray, with the more substantial mass of metals making them easier for these machines to detect. Your checkweigher may also be able to highlight any metal contaminants, particularly if your product’s weight is higher than usual.
Glass
Another common, and again potentially dangerous, contaminants in the food industry is glass. Glass can get into your products during the manufacturing process, mainly if glass containers are used at any point.
Naturally, broken glass is an unwelcome addition to any food production, so again your business needs to have procedures in place to check for and remove this contaminant. The dense mass of glass makes it easily identifiable by x-ray detection systems, so this could be an ideal solution for your production line if there is any risk of glass contaminating your product.
Stone
Small stones are another contaminant that can find its way into food, particularly if that food is collected from outside environments, such as farms. Due to this, applications such as nuts and cereal are particularly susceptible to contamination from stone. And, much like glass and metal, these hard substances can cause a great deal of harm to your customers.
X-ray detection systems are a perfect solution to stone contamination in your products, with their high density making them easily detectable for x-rays.
Bones
Bones are a common contaminant for food manufacturers who are dealing with meat products, including fish. The nature of these products means that bone can easily appear within products if they are not carefully removed before they reach your production line.
While larger bones are usually easily identified by sight, small bones – such as those often found in fish – can be easily missed within produce. They also pose a choking hazard to your customers if not removed, which could jeopardise your reputation as a trustworthy manufacturer.
The best route for identifying bones within your product is x-ray, with x-ray inspection systems able to detect bones and use radiographs to demonstrate their exact location within the product.
Dirt and pests
If your food product originates from outside, such as fruit, nuts, cereal, and so on, then you may find that dirt and pests are a common contamination risk. As these can often be very small, it can be tricky to screen for these types of contaminants. However, you must do what you can to remove them, as they can pose a hygiene risk and deter customers from choosing your products.
One of the easiest ways to remove dirt is to maintain cleanliness within your factory, this includes full and regular clean downs of your machinery. While you may be unable to control dirt that enters your product from external sources, you can prevent any dirt from entering it from within your workplace. You should also take time to wash and sort any products that you are handling to remove external dirt – make sure your staff are trained up on best practices for your production line to keep hygiene high and dirt contamination low.
Mycotoxins
Mycotoxins are naturally occurring chemicals produced by moulds, that can appear on many food stuffs, including fruit, nuts, cereal, bread and more. Some mycotoxins are more dangerous than others and have dangers associated with them such as liver damage, reproductive disorders and even cancer.
As mycotoxins occur naturally, they can’t be wholly avoided but there are some best practices business can – and must – have in place to reduce them. These include controlling the climate of your food storage (as mycotoxins are most likely to occur in warm conditions), keep products dry, and undertaking production processes such as dry milling. You can find out more about how to reduce mycotoxins in your food
Pesticides
If your product originates from a crop, there is a chance it will have been in touch with pesticides, which are often used by farmers to control pests. However, pesticides bring a level of toxicity, ranging from allergies and irritation at a low level to long term diseases and conditions at a higher level.
There is much regulation out there around pesticides, so it is essential that businesses stick to the rules in this area. Testing of products is required to make sure they do not exceed limits or pose harm to customers; other ways to reduce the presence of pesticides include washing, safe transport/storage and correct preparation of products.
Contamination is impossible to eliminate entirely when it comes to food manufacturing, but it is still important that businesses work to do what they can to identify and remove contaminants where possible. The easiest ways to do this include having best practices for food handling in place in your workplace (and communicating these with your staff), as well as having the right line solutions in place – whether than be metal detection, x-ray, checkweighers or a combination of systems.
If you are looking for the right solution to contamination for your business, get in touch today to find out about Yamato’s unique offerings.