Everyone expects the food we eat to be safe and wholesome, and most customers never question whether a food will harm them. Yet foreign objects are the third largest cause of recalls within Australia. Last year alone they were responsible for 12 national recall incidents.
Foreign objects can originate from a variety of sources and they include stalks and stems, metal, glass, ceramics, hard and soft plastics, pests and hair, just to name a few.
They usually result from a lapse in control in one of three key areas: your processing environment and equipment, your ingredients, or your personnel.
If your suppliers have inadequate foreign object controls, you are more likely to produce finished products that contain foreign objects.
A facility in poor condition with temporary maintenance repairs, obsolete parts, conveyor belts in poor condition, flaking paint and cracked plastic guards can also result in foreign objects making their way into food.
And personnel, visitors and contractors in the manufacturing environment can potentially introduce foreign objects into foods through their clothing, accessories, jewellery and personal belongings.
Recalls due to foreign objects in food are unacceptable and are still far too frequent in a modern food industry, considering this is a preventable problem. Prevention is always better than cure and businesses can protect themselves by investing in the following strong foreign object prevention strategies.
Approved supplier program
Ensuring a business procures ingredients from a raw material supplier with adequate foreign object controls will go a long way in preventing foreign objects in finished products.
Understanding the risks associated with a particular ingredient will allow a business to assess potential suppliers and ensure the right processes are in place to eliminate foreign objects.
Managing approved suppliers through non-conformance reporting will also continually improve supply to the benefit of the manufacturer and the consumer.
Good manufacturing practices
A tight and clear good manufacturing practices policy will outline exactly the standard to which a business will produce food. It must be clear and well constructed to ensure all staff understand the requirements. A strong policy and audit regime will focus on preventing potential foreign objects from entering the facility and will identify problem areas within a factory, process or operation.
Process controls
Sieves and magnets can be employed to remove foreign objects during processing. Regular checks and reporting of findings must be undertaken to identify the root cause to prevent a re-occurrence. Foreign object detection systems such as metal detectors, x-ray machines, laser scanners and other foreign object detection systems are often the last point in the process to identify foreign objects. These systems have their benefits in detecting metal, glass, plastic, ceramics, and organic matter such as bone fragments and rocks, but they also have their limitations with respect to detection sensitivity, are costly in terms of purchase and maintenance and also can result in significant wastage.
Foreign object walks
Implementing a targeted foreign object walk through the factory is a very effective tool in identifying and eliminating potential sources of foreign objects. These should be conducted daily by relevant people, including production and quality assurance staff and senior management. Findings should be communicated to all relevant staff to highlight potential threats to the business and tighter controls developed, implemented and monitored to eliminate these sources.
Preventative maintenance
Ensuring maintenance is conducted with foreign object control in mind is key. Tool controls, counting of parts, eliminating temporary repairs and inspection of repair activities upon completion will assist in eliminating foreign objects making their way into finished products.
Training
All staff need to understand the importance of foreign object controls within all areas of the business and the active role they play in preventing potential issues. They need to be made accountable for their actions and feel empowered to act on any potential foreign object issues they may come across. Each business is different and the food activities of the organisation need to be assessed and the right mix of foreign object prevention strategies implemented.
Foreign objects are avoidable and food businesses that implement foreign object-focused strategies that address the root cause and source of foreign objects will benefit with a reduction in customer complaints and reduced risk in the market.
Brooke Beach is degree-qualified in food technology and business and has 10 years’ retail experience with Woolworths. She is a food safety consultant with Elevating Food Safety, a quality and food safety systems consulting company also offering boutique training, process and nutritional services.
