Traceability has become a ‘buzz word’ with regard to food, particularly following a number of food safety incidents during which traceability systems have been shown to be weak or absent and hence slow or unable to assure consumers of food safety. Food crises in the past, such as the Listeriosis outbreak in 2018 have resulted in the consumer calling for greater visibility and precision in the global food supply chain.
The “farm to fork” food safety concept, is a response to the expectations of modern consumers who more and more often look for high-quality products compliant with high standards of production and animal welfare throughout the farming process. The term ‘food safety’ defines the concept that food will not cause harm to the consumer when it is prepared and/or eaten according to its intended use as per the ISO22000:2005 international standard for food safety management systems. Food safety is related to the occurrence of food safety hazards and does not include other human health aspects related to, such as malnutrition.
Food safety is relevant at different stages of supply, preparation/processing, distribution and serving. The food chain starts on the farm and ends on the fork. During every stage, great care must be taken to ensure that the end product will be safe for human consumption. This article presents an overview of the areas in which hygiene plays a crucial role in food safety.
The nature of fresh and perishable products means that there can be great variability in raw materials and ingredients, to be sorted out in the manufacturing plant. In the farm-to-fork food supply chain, inspection equipment and supporting advanced software help detect contaminants to keep products safe and provide valuable information to enhance the traceability needed in today’s environment.
Production Packaging Systems can assist in the quality control process by ensuring the correct weight of products, contamination checks via metal detectors, which will pick up ferrous, non-ferrous and stainless steel contaminants. With the use of X-ray equipment manufacturers can detect unwanted bones, glass, stones and metals in fresh produce as well as check the form of the packaging by detecting defects in the packaging as well as whether there is a product or item missing within the package. Due to the proven quality and reliability of our inspection equipment and the vast range we have on offer, we are able to offer the best solution for the industry or process. In addition, our metal detectors offer a true multifrequency device that can accept both wet and dry products through one machine with very high sensitivity.
For more information on Production Packaging Systems offerings visit http://bit.ly/Prodpackaging or email sales@prodpackaging.com
