Avoiding Product Recalls Through Metal Detectable Solutions: It’s Not Rocket Science

Undetected foreign objects continue to be an expensive scenario for food and beverage manufacturers, where even the largest companies face issues with major consequences. A recent incident reported by a global brand has resulted in the recall of a number of products in the UK, and reportedly more than 50 other countries, as a result of fragments of plastic being found within products. This highlights the need for maintaining high quality standards in a challenging and prominent market. 
 

The impact of contamination isn’t new and can affect the sales and reputation of international brands. The introduction of metal content plastics can help reduce the risk of contamination in the food production environment and thus prevent damaging product recalls. Metal content plastics, such as HellermannTyton’s range of metal detectable cable management solutions, allows food manufacturers to safely manage cabling in critical areas of the factory without worry as they can be found by metal detectors and x-ray equipment commonly used by production quality and control checks.
 

The introduction of detectable plastics can also extend to beverage manufacturers, where new materials are being developed which remain buoyant within liquid. For example, HellermannTyton has recently introduced its MCTPP-Series: a new range of detectable polypropylene metal content cable ties. The cable ties greatly reduce the risk of contamination within food and beverage products thanks to their buoyancy within liquids and total metal dispersion qualities, which provides consistent detectability for even small ‘cut-off’ pieces.
 

Introducing cable management solutions that are suitable for use as part of the HACCP process and are Food Contact and FDA compliant is essential in avoiding both the direct and indirect cost associated with product recalls. Richard Rands, UK Product Manager for Fastenings & Fixings, said: “HellermannTyton has extensive experience collaborating with food and beverage manufacturers to improve the detectability of plastic parts used in production factories. The even dispersion of metal in our range of metal detectable solutions ensures that small fragments of plastic are easily detectable before products reach customers. 
 

“Our innovation and product development capabilities enable us to push the boundaries in developing new solutions for the industry. HellermannTyton’s recent additions include its MCTPP-Series cable ties, detectable TIPTAGs and RFID identification solutions, as well as Helawrap and Spiral Binding solutions for the safe protection of cables with food manufacturing environments.”