5 replies to this topic

[aps]

I have an issue and i need some help.......

I am currently trending my forign body findings and i am currently running at 78% of findings in metal contaminated product rejected by the metal detector. What my issues are: I have probably located the source to the mixer on the mince lines, the blades are chipping off due to using frozen blocks of vl @ a temperature of -6 to -8. I have made engineering and production aware and the answer i get is " good job we have a metal detector then" also the business is aware of the issue but nothing is going to happen until something happens i.e. complaints etc.

Surely with turning a blind eye, section 3.8 Corrective actions & preventative actions requirement of BRC could be effected when it comes to audit in 8 weeks time.

Please advise

Thanks

[Charles.C]

Dear aps,

Your post seems to imply that you are rejecting / reworking / recycling 78% of your finished product due metal contamination.
= bankruptcy ?!

The typical total corrective action procedure contains 2 stages, immediate corrective action plus determination / correction of root cause (if any).
You appear to hv specified the root cause. The BRC auditor will expect to see yr appropriate proposed corrective action and its (scheduled) implementation. (faster cutting unit and/or blade type perhaps?)

Rgds / Charles.C

[Foodworker]

It seems to me that you you have a series of problems.

The first is that the equipment is not up to the demands of the process.
The second is that your engineers don't care about food safety
The third is that you don't have the support of senior management to deal with the problem.

A competent auditor will pick up on the problem.

You have two choices.

1 Try and present again the problem to your senior management and get an appropriate course of action taken which is probably going to mean spending money on modifying the equipment to prevent damage.

2 Let the auditor find the problem and raise a non conformity which must then be corrected or you will not be certified.

At the end of the day, metal detectors are not infallible and you run the risk of injuring a consumer. This should be your priority.

If you cover your backside with records that you have brought to the attention of the senior management you can at least say "I told you so" when you get a problem in the audit.

[QLD]

I have an issue and i need some help.......

I am currently trending my forign body findings and i am currently running at 78% of findings in metal contaminated product rejected by the metal detector. What my issues are: I have probably located the source to the mixer on the mince lines, the blades are chipping off due to using frozen blocks of vl @ a temperature of -6 to -8. I have made engineering and production aware and the answer i get is " good job we have a metal detector then" also the business is aware of the issue but nothing is going to happen until something happens i.e. complaints etc.

Surely with turning a blind eye, section 3.8 Corrective actions & preventative actions requirement of BRC could be effected when it comes to audit in 8 weeks time.

Please advise

Thanks

The way I read this and correct me if i am wrong is that knowingly 22% of metal that comes off the blades is going out for consumption?.

What standard do your metal detectors work to in relation to test pieces, IMEX in mince its hard to get better than 2.5mm SS and given you might get wire type shavings you could have some large pieces of metal going out.

You could wait for the corrective action or consumer complaints, which could be quite nasty. Personally I would try to build a case to win over the senior leadship on site. I would try to get some big examples of metal that cannot be found by the metal detector to present. If you are working on 2.5mm SS the metal detector would struggle with wires 2.0m x 6.0mm IMO.

IMO metal detectors are there to alert you of an issue, not clean the product as so many think. Some examples of what cannot be found may hit home.


Good luck

[Charles.C]

Dear aps,

Well, based on other threads here, you should also be prepared for auditor queries regarding whether all the pieces of metal detected are not greater than 7.0 mm in "length" ? A possibly validatable defence to inaction (depending on yr issued [?] finished product specifications of course) ?

Rgds / Charles.C

[mgourley]

If you don't mind finding another job, my suggestion would be this:
Gather all the metal fragments you have found. Gather all your charts, graphs, etc.
Demand a meeting with production, maintenance and senior management.
Begin the meeting with the following statement "This is the foreign material contamination I have gathered in the last month. Do any of you consume the products we produce? Do any of you find this to be an acceptable business practice?"

Marshall