March/April 2022 - 18

FOOD SAFETY
INSPECTION TECHNOLOGY
Food safety gets smarter
INSPECTING IN THE NEW ERA OF FOOD SAFETY
By Eric Garr
Guest columnist
DRIVEN BY EVER-STRICTER
safety regulations and the need for
traceability across the supply chain,
food manufacturers are increasingly
turning to inspection solutions with
improved precision and greater digital
capabilities.
At metal detect ion specialist
Fortress Technology, we examine the
different factors that are accelerating
the need for smarter systems, and
how intelligent inspection equipment
is helping to usher in a new era of
food safety.
Beyond identifying contaminants,
smarter technology is being used within
or alongside inspection systems to
improve efficiency, compliance and,
ultimately, profitability. As consumer
trends, production methods and
delivery platforms continue to shift
at a rapid pace, the U.S. Food and Drug
Administration (FDA) has addressed
these changes with its New Era of
Smarter Food Safety.
Building upon its Food Safety
Modernizat ion Act (FSMA), the
initiative offers a new approach to
food safety that involves leveraging
technology and other tools to create a
safer and more digital, traceable food
system. In addition to offering advice
on how to implement tech-enabled
traceability, the FDA's blueprint
outlines the need for smarter tools
and approaches for prevention and
outbreak response, new business
models and retail modernization and
food safety culture.
Although the 10-year plan was
initially set for release in spring
2020, it had to be delayed until July
due to the coronavirus. However, the
ongoing pandemic and the challenges
18 MARCH/APR I L 2 02 2
 Digital test technology can be fitted to bulk, gravity, pipeline and conveyor style metal detectors.
Photo: Fortress Technology
it has presented to food suppliers
has fast-tracked the need for more
advanced inspection equipment with
greater connectivity and data capture
capabilities.
Digital testing for
greater traceability
As new food legislation suggests,
traceability is, and will continue to be,
a key priority. The speed at which a
food company can publicly pinpoint the
source of a contaminant is imperative
and can minimize the damage caused
by a recall. While inspection systems
such as metal detectors and X-ray are
an integral first step in quality control,
proper management with regular
testing is vital to ensure optimum
protection is achieved.
In its blueprint, the FDA discusses the
feasibility of remote, virtual, and/or
component inspections of foreign and
domestic firms. This principle can also
be applied to the testing process of
metal detectors and X-ray machinery.
Automatic digital testing software, for
example, is starting to gain industry
acceptance. This technology is designed
to complement manual processes,
allowing for tests and records to be
activated automatically and even
remotely if required.
Leveraging digital concepts for this
critical step in food safety compliance
provides manufacturers with a true
measure of how each inspection
machine is performing. Testing
interoperability not only removes
the risk of human error, but also
reduces labor costs and safety hazards
associated with manual checks,
in
addition to providing a reliable audit
trail for traceability purposes.

March/April 2022

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of March/April 2022