Food manufacturers supplying packaged products to retailers can now use the latest metal detection technology from Thermo Fisher Scientific to meet the “gold standard” requirements set by Marks & Spencer, a leading UK retailer, one of the toughest food safety codes of practice for foreign object detection.

The codes of practice typically specify which type of foreign object detection system should be used, how it must function to ensure rejected products are removed from production, and how the systems should “fail” safely under all conditions. The codes also dictate how results should be audited, which records must be kept and the desired sensitivity for various metal detector apertures sizes.

The Thermo Scientific Sentinel Multiscan Metal Detector, a first-of-its-kind metal detector that rapidly scans up to five frequencies at a time, now has updated software and hardware features to meet the stringent standards. Sentinel is a high-performance contaminant detection solution ideally suited to applications with high product effect, such as meat, dairy, bakery, confectionary, and fresh fruits and vegetables.

“Inspecting with the Sentinel Multiscan Metal Detector enables food manufacturers to demonstrate to retailers that their foreign object detection technology will help to avoid brand-damaging and costly recalls,” says Bob Ries, lead product manager, metal detection and X-ray inspection, Thermo Fisher Scientific.  “As the trend towards adopting codes of practice grows, we are supporting the highest level of market need for compliant foreign object detection solutions across our portfolio of inspection and detection technologies.”

Ries says that Thermo Scientific APEX Metal Detectors and Thermo Scientific NextGuard X-ray inspection systems have also been updated with new software and hardware features designed to ensure compliance with the retailer codes and provide more options for food manufacturers based upon their manufacturing specifications and application.

Thermo Fisher Scientific | Sentinel Multiscan Metal Detector | Download: Foreign Object Detection Compliance & Retailer Codes of Practice