Food Processing and the Metal Detectable Scoop

We have all been there. The birthday party is tomorrow or even today, and the work-of-art cake you had planned just hasn’t come to be. The obvious solution for most is a handy box of cake mix. Have you ever wondered where these ready-made products came from? Manufacturing them in such large quantities requires all sorts of ingredients and tools like the metal detectable scoop which has been a big part of modern era baking.

Did you know that cake mix started because of a molasses surplus?

A molasses manufacturer in Pittsburgh, P. Duff, and Sons, found themselves with an excess of molasses during the Depression era. To not waste the surplus, John D. Duff dehydrated the molasses and invented a dried mixture of molasses, flour, and eggs that, with the addition of water, would make a gingerbread batter that could be baked at home. By the 1940s, major flour manufacturers picked up on the idea and started inventing variations that would produce cake batter at home by, again, simply adding water. By the late 1950s, these mixes had grown so much in popularity that food processing facilities were producing them an masse. The growth of these production facilities triggered advancements in technology across the globe. Today, food processing facilities utilize a wide range of tools and technology to produce food efficiently, safely, and in vast quantities to reach the consumer.

Mixers, scoops, and other tools of the trade

In your home kitchen, you’re sure to notice if you lose a measuring cup in your battle bowl. But in a food processing facility, great care is taken to ensure that the tools used in food processing are easy to account for, durably made, and designed with safety in mind. Giant mixers, paddles, and scoops are all part of the cake mix manufacturing process. To avoid cross-contamination, metal detection apparatus is used in food facilities to avoid any fragments accidentally ending up in the product. Tools that were originally stainless steel (and very heavy) are being replaced by strong food-grade metal detectable plastic. The metal detectable scoop has revolutionized food safety and is more ergonomic for employees on the manufacturing line. Strong, yet lightweight, a metal detectable scoop is ideal for scooping and measuring the large-scale ingredients like flour and sugar that you would find in products like cake mix while remaining detectable to food safety machinery.

Colour coding and cross-contamination

One of the most important safety features of the metal detectable scoop is its ability to be produced in a range of colours like red, blue, green, and more. Food processing facilities rely on strict colour coding protocols to avoid cross-contamination and ensure proper procedures around allergens, cleaning guidelines, and more. The scoops are just one variety of a wide range of metal detectable tools (pens, clipboards, calculators, shovels, even bandages) used in food manufacturing for maximum safety and detectability. The metal detectable scoop is easy to clean, easy to handle, tolerant of temperatures ranging from -30 degrees Celsius to 80 degrees Celsius, and ranges in sizes from 32 ounces to 2 kilograms.

Cake convenience has come a long way from the powdered gingerbread that came in a can, to the mass production of Betty Crocker’s entire line of baking mixes. Now companies can make their products as safely and efficiently as possible, and the consumer can rest assured that the only extras ending up in their cake mix are water, eggs, and a little bit of love.