The FDA Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA), the most sweeping reform of our food safety laws in more than 70 years, was signed into law by President Obama on January 4, 2011. It aims to ensure the U.S. food supply is safe by shifting the focus from responding to contamination to preventing it, outlines Mike Peach, Industry Segment Manager for Habasit in America.
Peach states that the protein industry (meat, poultry, seafood, etc) is a segment of strategic importance to Habasit globally and one where the company has and will continue to invest heavily in new products and solutions that help the end user add profit to their bottom line while improving sanitation standards.
Metal detectors are common in all food plants but they cannot identify non-metallic items, and for this reason X-Ray detection is becoming more popular among food processors. Peach states, “The initial investment is higher, but more companies, especially the larger ones, are installing them for added food safety which is why we offer multiple products in X-Ray detectable materials.”
Color is important as well. If a plant is using some kind of visual recognition technology or wants their employees to differentiate by color, “there is a trend toward blue belting as there are no natural foods of that color,” says Peach. Other major lines in the Habasit family include Cleanline, noted for its ease of cleaning and high release characteristics. Another, Cleandrive™, combines fabric and plastic benefits. “It has been well-received where there are particularly high sanitation requirements,” adds Peach. “Our fabric belts are also noted for their tight transfers over very small pulleys or nosebars and from one belt to another – this provides very gentle product movement.”
In summary, Peach concludes that Habasit has a wide range of solutions for the protein industry and the Habasit Key Account and Industry Key Account Managers are actively playing their part in helping protein processors continue to make the industry safer for all of us.
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