Moving to aluminum trays and need advice on metal detectors?

Hello, 

We are a small seafood manufacturer and currently use Styrofoam trays w/ overwrap or plastic trays w/heat seal to package our product. Currently, the abbreviated process steps are cooking >> iqf >> packaging >> metal detection >> cold storage. Obviously, metal detection is one of our CCPs. The company wants to move to using aluminum tray packaging, which is a dilemma for me as QA Manager. A process change (e.g., metal detector before packaging) would not suffice as the wrapping machines and sealers have metal parts. X-rays are currently far beyond budget. Any ideas for me as far as risk assessment for a process change... or any ideas in general?

Thanks! 

I am not sure why any company would want to use aluminum trays.

Outside of X-ray the only thing I can think of is that you would need to sent the product thru the detector without the tray and then add the tray.

If they don't want to go to the needed expense of using X-Ray, well, there you have it.

Hi SQFConsultant - the idea for the aluminum tray is that it is ovenable and recyclable (that's all a sales and marketing thing, of course) - but I agree with your response. Just making sure that I have exhausted all my thought options before having to put my foot down for HACCP compliance and food safety reasons. If it is that important to have aluminum packaging, then we will need to shell out the cash. 

I am not sure why any company would want to use aluminum trays.

 

Outside of X-ray the only thing I can think of is that you would need to sent the product thru the detector without the tray and then add the tray.

 

If they don't want to go to the needed expense of using X-Ray, well, there you have it.

I am not sure why any company would want to use aluminum trays.

 

Outside of X-ray the only thing I can think of is that you would need to sent the product thru the detector without the tray and then add the tray.

 

If they don't want to go to the needed expense of using X-Ray, well, there you have it.

Hi SQFConsultant - the idea for the aluminum tray is that it is ovenable and recyclable (that's all a sales and marketing thing, of course) - but I agree with your response. Just making sure that I have exhausted all my thought options before having to put my foot down for HACCP compliance and food safety reasons. If it is that important to have aluminum packaging, then we will need to shell out the cash. 

Maybe a two step packaging process, package product and then package with tray? 

Well, I'd be asking marketing if they have actually looked into whether people want to cook on aluminum, I sure as heck don't!

I'm new to this forum, However we had come across a similar discussion whit our foil trays.

Mettler Toledo did have a solution using a metal detector - however we ended up installing X-rays and never followed up on their proposal. 

Hi Bobby. Thanks for your reply... they told us that they have a testing lab that could determine the minimum size of metal that could be detected if the sensitivity was decreased to prevent false positives from the aluminum tray. Is this similar to what they told you? 

Hi nathannaughton,

 

I'm new to this forum, However we had come across a similar discussion whit our foil trays.

Mettler Toledo did have a solution using a metal detector - however we ended up installing X-rays and never followed up on their proposal. 

 

Morning Nathan,

Yes they had told us the same - We were to supply the finished product for testing (10 samples).

These were to be used for validating the test pieces and best aperture size for the detector head.

Regards

Bobby

Hello, 

 

We are a small seafood manufacturer and currently use Styrofoam trays w/ overwrap or plastic trays w/heat seal to package our product. Currently, the abbreviated process steps are cooking >> iqf >> packaging >> metal detection >> cold storage. Obviously, metal detection is one of our CCPs. The company wants to move to using aluminum tray packaging, which is a dilemma for me as QA Manager. A process change (e.g., metal detector before packaging) would not suffice as the wrapping machines and sealers have metal parts. X-rays are currently far beyond budget. Any ideas for me as far as risk assessment for a process change... or any ideas in general?

 

Thanks! 

You may need to do a little googling.

IIRC I previously posted a picture here of a claimed aluminium-compatible MD which seemed to possess  a quite respectable sensitivity for iron detection.

PS - sorry, I only pasted the spec, here it is -

https://www.ifsqn.co...or/#entry150486

PPS - some info here -

https://www.anritsu....n/aluminum-pack

Ferrous in foil metal detectors are an option but at the expense of detecting anything that isn't ferrous in nature and at a larger detection size than through a conventional head, S/S detection is also affected. This would likely mean a new metal detector anyway, likely a dual head machine so may well be worth looking down the xray route any-hand.