Keep pace with evolving safety standards

The five steps to optimum product inspection for meat and poultry manufacturers by NEIL GILES

THE NEED to equip meat and poultry processing and packaging lines with top-quality  product inspection equipment is more pressing than ever. Tightened regulatory standards and heightened consumer awareness require that meat and poultry manufacturers take all measures necessary to protect both customers and their brand reputation.

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In 2010, the UK Food Standards Agency (FSA) reported 116 incidents of physical contamination,  with 66% concerning ‘extrinsic material not related to the food itself’. Thirteen product recall notices were issued. Interestingly, in 2009 the number of incidents was 56, less than half the 2010 figure. In March 2011, for instance, Premier Foods had to recall certain batch codes of two Fray Bentos canned meat pie products due to the possible presence of small pieces of glass within the products. 1 Even Windsor Quality  Food  Company had to recall approximately 11,390 pounds of chicken pot pie empanadas as they contained foreign materials such as plastics.

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These figures and the example above are the type of issues that provoke concern amongst meat and poultry manufacturers. There are inevitable and serious consequences in the event of a product recall – the financial cost of sanctions and fines is often high, and can have immediate and long-term implications for company reputation and share price. Food safety scares can dent consumer confidence to such an extent that affected brands may find it very difficult to recover.

In order to keep your customers satisfied and to ensure your brand and reputation are protected, certain product inspection steps must be taken. Following is a five-point checklist of your route to the highest-quality product inspection.

Understand the regulations

The first step in satisfying  food regulations and standards is to acquire a full understanding of what they entail and which particular ones apply to your organisation. It’s important to select equipment and suppliers that can ensure compliance and have knowledge of global and local quality standards, regional differences and industry variations.

Checkweighers, metal-detectors, x-ray equipment and vision inspection systems must satisfy legislation implemented by state regulators – bodies such as the Chinese State  Food  and  Drug Administration, Germany’s Federal Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Consumer Protection, or non-federal US state regulators – in their ability to guarantee process and product security. In many cases, it is also important to choose technology and equipment that adhere to the demands of the industry, such as standards encompassed by the Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI), which include British Retail Consortium (BRC), International Food Standard (IFS) Safe Quality Food (SQF) and FSSC 22000 schemes.

The requirements heaped  upon manufacturers do not end with food safety legislation, global certification schemes and process-specific standards.  For example, checkweighers play a pivotal role in meeting trading standards like Weights and Measures, and innovative, centralised product inspection device management helps to placate major retailers who have their own, individual sets of standards, such as Tesco and Marks and Spencer–Mercurial X Proximo