FlexXray Blog

Randy Jesberg joins the executive team to lead company through current growth and future expansion.

A recall of any product potentially has a significant negative impact on its manufacturer. Recalls are expensive, not only from the financial hit they incur in lost sales and other direct costs, but also in the lasting impact recalls can have on a brand’s reputation. Without an effective online reputation management strategy, food producers can suffer even greater losses.

Determining the cost of a food crisis such as a recall is difficult, because it goes far beyond the hard costs. Food Safety Magazine identifies recalls as “the food industry’s biggest threat to profitability,” and the numbers back up that observation. The magazine reports that the average recall costs a company at least $10 million, which includes both the direct costs of recalling and destroying the food, as well as notifying the necessary regulatory agencies, the supply chain and the consumers.

The bill continues rising from there; there’s the expense of labor to complete all of the above actions, as well as the cost of running replacement product. But perhaps the greatest cost — and the one that is most difficult to manage — is brand reputation.

With 600 million people around the world affected by contaminated food each year, it’s crucial for food manufacturers to have a Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP) plan in place to help prevent contamination.

It's also essential for production facilities to ensure they're working with vendors and suppliers that are HACCP-compliant. Knowing that products, equipment and even uniforms are handled and monitored properly guarantees that contamination risks aren’t being passed along to the food supply.

Let’s look at five prerequisites manufacturers should have in place to create an environment that supports HACCP at their facility and how working with compliant vendors can further ensure the safety of your food product. 

No food manufacturer wants to deal with contaminated product, but when foreign material contamination happens, they need to have a process in place. Foreign material in food is something that occurs in many different ways and at every stage of the production process.

Contaminants can make their way into food in the field, during transportation to the production facility or at numerous points in the manufacturing process; they can be caused by anything from human error to mechanical failure.

Regardless of how the foreign material gets into the food, the big concern for plant management is the same: What should the next steps be? 

X-ray inspection is becoming increasingly popular as food manufacturers learn more about its capabilities. X-ray inspection machines are designed to detect foreign material more effectively than other methods and, therefore, are the most efficient way to handle issues of physical contamination. 

When a food manufacturing facility discovers it has a foreign material problem, X-ray inspection is the most reliable solution to help pinpoint and eliminate the issue.

However, there are certain factors to be considered when deciding to use X-ray inspection. Not all X-ray inspections are created equal, and knowing the options and the capabilities of X-ray equipment is critical to deciding what steps to take.

Food contamination comes in many forms, from biological contaminants to physical hazards. With so many entry points for contamination, food manufacturing facilities have to make sure they have procedures in place to prevent all types of contamination; that includes contamination from food packaging.

While less common than other types of contamination, food packaging can still be a source of foreign materials that find their way into the food supply. Because it is less common, it is a threat that food manufacturers can easily overlook. But putting procedures in place to safeguard against contamination due to food packaging is an important part of a strong culture of food safety. 

When X-ray food inspection systems were introduced, they ushered in a new era in food safety. X-ray inspection systems are used to find physical contaminants during the production process that might be missed by visual inspection or metal detection, thereby saving food manufacturers headaches, lawsuits and recalls.  

In the past year, food recalls due to biological contamination have maintained a steady presence in the news. During 2018, salmonella was the main headliner, with Centers for Disease Control reporting eight food-related outbreaks between January and July. One outbreak linked to pre-cut melons accounted for at least 70 cases in seven states and resulted in 34 hospitalizations, leading many consumers to wonder if food contamination through biological causes is on the rise.

Social media has become one of the most acceptable and modern ways for individuals (and companies) to communicate with each other.  Social networks allow individuals from all over the world to share their thoughts, opinions, photos and videos immediately . 

Today , according to Pew Research Center, 67% of Americans use Facebook as their primary news source. That’s a powerful illustration of how much social media influences and affects the way we think and view the world today.  But for many food companies, the question remains, how does social media impact the food industry?

There’s no question that innovations in plastic are changing the food industry. Plastic is paving the way for new, lightweight forms of packaging to be created, as well as providing more flexible choices in equipment. Plastic products make processing and packaging foods easier and more cost-effective .

However, plastic contamination is also creating growing challenges for food manufacturers. How can companies detect and manage the growing challenge of plastic in food?