10 replies to this topic

[K Nista]

I hail from the world of BRC and am now assisting a a small co-pack company with their first SQF certification. We process sauces and marinades-both acidified and thermally processed.  We do not have a metal detector but do have mag trap.  Will the mag trap satisfy SQF requirement for metal detection ?

[SQFconsultant]

In-line trap?

 

What is the sauce and marinades packaged in as a final - glass jars, cans, bags, etc. ?

 

Is the mag trap an effective means of detecting metal?  Also is there a possibility for glass or plastic inclusion?

[kconf]

It can satisfy as long as the risk is assessed and the current measures are proven effective. 

[cookinmaple]

We produce similar items under SQF. We don't use a metal detector but we use multiple sieves of different microns and a mag filter to remove any FM in our product. In our RA our big physical/FM hazard is broken glass from bottles, and glass is not detected by metal detectors. We use Health Canadas Physical Hazard limit to validate our sieve microns as an effective control. 

[GMO]

I cannot specify for SQF but in most standards a magnet would not be considered effective as it's poor at picking up high grades of stainless steel which is probably what most of your plant is made from.

 

Filtration can be an alternative if the size is small enough but I doubt most auditors in most schemes will be happy with magnets alone.

[Tony-C]

Hi K Nista,

 

Unlike BRCGS, which states ‘Metal detection equipment shall be in place unless risk assessment demonstrates that this does not improve food safety’, SQF does not state that metal detection is compulsory, the onus on you to identify and assess potential foreign body hazards and put in appropriate controls.

 

As others have posted more details of your process and packaging is required if you want sound advice. It would also be interesting to know much metal contamination you are picking up on those magnets.

 

Relevant SQF Food Safety Code Clauses:

 

11.7.3 Control of Foreign Matter Contamination requires:

11.7.3.1 The responsibility and methods used to prevent foreign matter contamination of the product shall be documented, implemented, and communicated to all staff.

 

11.7.4 Detection of Foreign Objects requires:

11.7.4.1 The responsibility, methods, and frequency for monitoring, maintaining, calibrating, and using screens, sieves, filters, or other technologies to remove or detect foreign matter shall be documented and implemented.

11.7.4.2 Where detection and/or removal systems are used, the site shall establish limits for detection, based on a risk assessment of the product and its packaging, and identify the location(s) of the detector(s) in the process.

11.7.4.3 Metal detectors or other physical contaminant detection technologies shall be routinely monitored, validated, and verified for operational effectiveness. The equipment shall be designed to isolate defective product and indicate when it is rejected.

 

Kind regards,

 

Tony

 

[jfrey123]

Can you guarantee all the suppliers of your raw materials are using ferrous metal equipment (from harvest of spices, to grinders of spices, to juicers/squeezers, etc)?  Are they metal detecting your product prior to you and can provide COA's?  Can you prove all of your processing equipment is ferrous and all possible fragments would catch on a magnet?  And are you challenging that magnet multiple times a day to verify it will catch pieces of sufficient size which you've determined them to be a hazard?

 

I bet $1 fake internet dollar that the answer to all above is not 100% yes.  If multiple metal types are involved, a MD is pretty much the answer.  Not to mention magnets are decent but not perfect at their job.

[GMO]

Can you guarantee all the suppliers of your raw materials are using ferrous metal equipment (from harvest of spices, to grinders of spices, to juicers/squeezers, etc)?  Are they metal detecting your product prior to you and can provide COA's?  Can you prove all of your processing equipment is ferrous and all possible fragments would catch on a magnet?  

 

I agree.  While SQF allows for risk assessment, I can't see how a risk assessment which is done in good faith could prove a metal detector is not needed.  

[Hoosiersmoker]

Would the magnet pick up copper, brass, aluminum or SS? A proper metal detector would detect those but a magnet would not collect them. Also, if the magnet gets "full" enough, would it start to release metal collected?

[jfrey123]

Also, if the magnet gets "full" enough, would it start to release metal collected?

 

They do, which is why you have to constantly evaluate whether your frequency for checks and periodic cleanings are sufficient.

 

But even then, magnets can drop the metal they caught depending on the flow of the product.  In my old spice company, we'd (rarely) see bigger things like a bolt pass through a in-line bar magnet and get caught in the MD.  Bosses would swear up and down that big things get pushed to the bottom of the magnet bars and stay there, but even a strong magnet passing a pull test is fighting a losing battle to hold onto something when 100,000lbs of granulated or powdered spices are gravity flowing through it.

[GMO]

They do, which is why you have to constantly evaluate whether your frequency for checks and periodic cleanings are sufficient.

 

But even then, magnets can drop the metal they caught depending on the flow of the product.  In my old spice company, we'd (rarely) see bigger things like a bolt pass through a in-line bar magnet and get caught in the MD.  Bosses would swear up and down that big things get pushed to the bottom of the magnet bars and stay there, but even a strong magnet passing a pull test is fighting a losing battle to hold onto something when 100,000lbs of granulated or powdered spices are gravity flowing through it.

 

Agree, I've had the same in seasoning applications.  So much so we treated magnets as an early warning system but one which annoyingly needed to be checked on a frequent basis.  I'd never trust one to be the only control for metal.  Especially where the likely metal contaminants aren't likely to be ferrous.

 

I don't see the justification in not buying a metal detector.  You can get reasonably priced ones nowadays.  What does it say about your culture if you're not prepared to spend that money?