Lock’s INSIGHT metal detectors enable ice cream manufacturers demonstrate traceability competency
21 May 2012
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EU regulation 178/2002 states the general principles and requirements for food law, within which article 18 requires that traceability shall be established at all stages of production, processing and distribution, it has become essential for manufacturers to incorporate into their processes the total traceability of ingredients, products and batches. It also places a legal responsibility on ethical food business operators to have systems and procedures in place which can identify an affected product and enable effective isolation, quarantine, or if necessary, complete product recalls.
Lock Inspection’s INSIGHT range of metal detectors, which deliver class leading sensitivities to magnetic and non magnetic metals, are designed to satisfy growing demand for consumer safety and brand protection . The range not only ensures that metal contaminants are identified and rejected, but the integral OPTIX detector management software provides comprehensive real time data capture, ensuring full traceability of product, batch and performance information. Uniquely, OPTIX software provides an easy to use interface and DDS (Direct Digital Signal) vector diagrams which helps manufacturers achieve quick automated product set-ups and a high level of traceability.
The greatest benefit of this software to dairy processors and packers, in particular manufacturers of ice-cream, is the ability it gives production staff to ‘see’ if a metal has been detected with aid of live graphical feedback. “Ice-cream can be a difficult to inspect, due to conductive signal from the product and temperature changes as it goes through production. Lock’s current generation metal detector uses sophisticated technology to overcome this and deliver class-leading sensitivity to both magnetic and non-magnetic metallic contamination.” comments Lock Inspection’s Marketing & Sales Manager Simon Taylor.
To overcome this problem, graphical feedback from the DDS vector display enables operators to visually interpret the event and fine tune the detector to eliminate false triggering without sacrificing metal sensitivity. This easy to use trouble shooting measure helps dairy manufacturers minimise rejected product without sacrificing product security, plus they can extract and report inspection data in a variety of ways including a USB portal, via Ethernet or directly feed data into the onsite SCADA system for monitoring purposes.
These unique features help manufacturers working in the dairy processing and packaging industry stay compliant and increase their competitive edge when demonstrating to retailers their competency over traceability. Retailers are keen to ensure that they have the necessary systems and controls in place to minimise the incidence of foreign body contamination and ensure they are able to retain consumer confidence in the event of a food safety incident. The alternative is clear, inaction could, in the event of a contamination event, lead to termination of contracts and loss of brand integrity, not to mention punitive legal action.
For further information, please contact Simon Taylor:
T: +44 (0)161 624 0333 E staylor@lockinspection.co.uk
www.lockinspection.com
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