Process with half automation and half hand and not full metal detection

Hi all, 

A facility is asking a question I haven't come across before, and would greatly appreciate a discussion. They have two production lines, one is hand packing, the other is mechanical. The mechanical line has in line metal detection, the handpacking will not be put through a metal detector. Their goal is to have both of these streams be in the same master case. 

My alarm bells are ringing, but I'm stumped on what their options would be. What their HACCP plan would need to address... Any insight would be appreciated. 

Thank you! 

I'll tell them to pop for another metal detector - for the hand packing line.

Hi :) 

Interesting to see their HACCP, and how they justified hand packing line.. 

... They have two production lines, one is hand packing, the other is mechanical. The mechanical line has in line metal detection, the handpacking will not be put through a metal detector. Their goal is to have both of these streams be in the same master case. ...

Unless they're claiming the automated packaging machine is itself the exclusive (or at least majority) source of FM this arrangement does not make sense.

We don't know what the product is, or how it is processed before packaging, but if the same kind of product is packaged on both lines it seems highly likely both lines need FM detection.

It's less desirable, but not unheard of to me.  It'll come down to the HACCP RA:  if there's no likelihood associated with metal in the product itself, and the metal detection is only due to hazards introduced by the auto-filler, they can probably justify no MD on the hand packed items.

That said, I think you'd likely want a different lot coding for the MD'd vs the non-MD'd.  You'll likely have customers who demand MD no matter what in their contracts and replacing their product with non-MD'd is going to run a borderline fraud issue.