The call for safety is at an all-time high. Many things need to be taken into consideration when it comes to the safety of our products. One of the most dangerous, yet furthest in the back of people’s mind, is metal detection. We all work with surfaces of either stainless steel or copper. These surfaces have the ability to be chipped, scraped and gouged, producing minute particles of metal that can be dangerous to human consumption. In this excerpt from an article in RCI’s Kettle Talk magazine, Caleb Ramm with Candy House Gourmet identifies four considerations when adding a metal detector to your facility.
Purchasing
When purchasing a metal detector,
make sure to buy from a company that supplies ample training and support to
ensure you get the most out of your investment. For a metal detector to be truly
effective, constant observation and calibration are key.
Placement
Another consideration when purchasing a metal detector for your facility, is to determine the best placement based on your needs. Companies that only enrobe candies or produce on a line may want to place a metal detector at the end of the line, so that the product will pass through before packaging.
Others run their packaged products through the metal detector, which will detect metal that may be in or on the box itself. Placing the metal detector away from the enrober, in its own designated area may make it easier to access it at all times.
Calibration
When you set up a new product, you are given test cards that have ferrous, non-ferrous and stainless-steel samples to use to calibrate your machine. The smaller the particle you calibrate to, the smaller the particle the machine has the ability to detect.
Elimination
When a product is identified as contaminated, it is recommended to pull the entire batch and re-test it until all particle have been located and removed from the finished product.
We all want the best for our customers, and look for any way to improve upon this. Safety in confectionery doesn’t just stop in production. Pass on the safety to your customers as well.
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