Mitigating Cross-Contamination Risk in Food Processing Facilities with Detectable Products

by Peter Adamski

Some of the greatest threats to any business working in the food processing industry aren't external factors but internal issues related to cross-contamination. The fallout from contaminated packaged foods can be complicated – and costly – to recover from. And even if you can overcome the initial backlash, the damage to your reputation could take years to restore.

Usurpingly, exemplary hygiene practices are paramount to packaged food manufacturers. Many companies have invested heavily in improving quality control standards, with additional staff, metal detectors, and detectable products like brushes, bandages, scoops, and pens to comply with local regulations and ensure their product safety.

If you are involved in the processing or packaging of food, here are four ways detectable products can help diminish contamination risk.

What Are Detectable Products?

From full product recalls to customer complaints, a foreign object that makes its way past standard quality control checks and into the production line can have far-reaching consequences.

Companies responsible for supplying the tool required in food processing and preparation have responded with various solutions designed to enhance food safety and compliance without sacrificing functionality or quality.

Metal Detectable Products

Because many of the most common contaminants can be missed with routine inspections, equipment like metal detectors and X-rays have become commonplace in food processing facilities. And detectable products like brushes, utensils, pens, and first aid supplies, make even tiny fragments easier to catch.

Some detectable products, like brushes, scoopers, measuring cups, and bandages, contain detectable metal plastics. Additives included in the plastic resin increase the conductivity of these materials, making them visible to metal detectors and X-ray machines, even in minimal qualities.

Colour Coding

Managing various areas of your production facility requires strict adherence to protocol. Items from low care areas should not end up in high care zones. Colour-segregated detectable brushes, utensils, pens, and clipboards help prevent potentially dangerous cross-contamination scenarios.

For example, cleaning brushes and utensils should be marked or colour-coded based on their specific use or designated area.

Durable, Food Grade Plastics

Low-grade plastics are not only tough to detect, but they can also be flimsy and prone to breaking. Food grade detectable plastics are not only easier to find if an accident should happen, but higher quality materials reduce the likelihood of damage occurring in the first place.

In the unlikely event that a high-grade detectable polymer scoop, brush, pen, or bucket breaks, bright colours and detectable materials will make fragments much easier to locate.

Accountability Controls

When each item used on the production line has a dedicated place, missing objects can be quickly identified and appropriate action taken. 

In addition to using labels or quickly identifiable detectable colour coding to keep equipment segregated by function or department, shadow boards can help ensure workspaces remain tidy and organized, with each tool given a visually identifiable dedicated place.

Types of Detectable Products

There are a wide variety of detectable products and available colour options for use throughout your facility; these include:

 Safety is a vital concern for anyone working in the production or processing of food; with these tools, you can help ensure you maintain the highest level of safety and compliance standards.

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