In the large format packaged food processing industry, efficiency is profitability. Waste – whether in the form of contaminated heavy weight packaged goods or product giveaway – is not just an operational nuisance but a direct threat to a business’s financial health and future. Generating economic growth requires balancing food safety and quality with efficiency.
Catching contaminants at the start of any ingredient, grain, snack, confectionery or pet food processing line is the most cost-effective solution. However, it is critical to assess and regularly review production risks in context, ensuring that all the essential critical control inspection points are covered.
Eric Garr, Regional Sales Manager at Fortress Technology, examines the benefits of having a longer-
term strategic investment plan and identifies the hidden and frequently overlooked food safety risks on bulk food processing lines.
While large-format food production costs have stabilized in recent years, labor, transportation and warehousing expenses remain elevated compared to pre-pandemic levels, making it critical that any new manufacturing investments deliver measurable value. By strategically identifying high-risk contamination points and selecting the right inspection equipment, processors can mitigate potential issues and maximize ROI.
These challenges have prompted Fortress Technology to launch a compact combination metal detector and heavy duty checkweigher. Introduced at Pack Expo 2025, Las Vegas, booth W-3670, the Raptor BBK Combination system accurately detects metal contaminants and weighs various large bag or case sizes, minimizing product giveaway and false rejects.
Designed for pet food, grain bags and large case applications weighing from 8-25 kilograms (55 lbs.), the Raptor BBK Combination system offers user-friendly operation, easy maintenance and straightforward cleaning. For even heavier products, Fortress also offers a robust 50 kilogram (110 lbs.) model to accommodate larger format requirements.
Ensuring food safety and providing valuable statistical data, the Raptor BBK Combination system can seamlessly integrate into existing production lines and factory IT systems. Its robust and maintenance friendly construction ensures long-term reliability and performance in heavy processing environments and plants. The easy to remove conveyor belting and AC induction motor supports efficient cleaning and maintenance.
Addressing foreign object fears
There are three major sources that can introduce contaminants into large format food processing lines.
Foreign matter present in incoming raw ingredients, wear and tear from processing machinery, and
workforce risks. This includes health and safety handling risks and poor construction and maintenance of production facilities and equipment.
Potential contaminants can range from metal flakes to larger metal fragments and machine parts. If these larger contaminants aren’t detected at their largest potential size, smaller pieces can end up being dispersed throughout an entire batch of processed products. These larger contaminants can also potentially damage processing and packaging equipment, resulting in downtime, expensive repairs or even machinery replacements.
Metal remains the most common contaminant on all food processing lines. This is typically due to high levels of automation in processing facilities. If processing equipment is not properly maintained and monitored this can augment the risk of metal fragments entering a production line.
Built to handle big volumes
Often located between product chutes and hoppers on bulk production lines, Stealth gravity metal detectors allow product to flow directly through the aperture. As product passes through the detector aperture, contaminated product is removed using a high-speed reject mechanism, such as a diverter valve.
End-of-line checkweighing and physical contamination detection technology can be utilized after the product is packaged and sealed. Functioning as a final layer of protection, at this phase there is virtually zero possibility of a new contaminant being introduced. However, if rejected, the costs incurred because of wasted food, labor and packaging can be exponentially higher.
Establishing the biggest contaminant risks, effective CCPs and inspection solutions all help to ensure a robust food safety strategy.
Reducing returns
Before any processing occurs, extra-large bags of ingredients weighing up to 110lbs can be inspected using specially designed large bag metal detectors. Fortress Technology systems are known for being robust. Primarily because they feature heavy duty conveyor construction, highly sensitive metal detection apertures sized to match large bag applications, and extra-rugged outer casings to suppress vibrations and electrical noise that could interfere with signals and lead to false rejects.
“Scanning raw ingredients as they come into the factory is prudent for many reasons. Although in most instances these ingredients would be inspected by the supplier, a re-inspection will help to ensure that suppliers are complying and hold them accountable for ingredient quality,” reaffirms Eric.
Safety at heights
“Upstream inspection often makes it easier to detect contaminants, trace to their source and potentially alert staff to equipment failures before they become a significant issue,” highlights Eric.
Due to the safety risks and the challenge of simulating a worst-case scenario test on gravity inspection applications, automatic testing is increasingly being utilized. Replicating a metal contaminant signal disturbance in the center of the aperture and at product velocity, which improves the quality of the verification, is one of the key benefits of automatic testing. The results from the verifications are automatically logged and digitally stored for GFSI audits. In addition to reducing operational costs, automatic testing can significantly reduce waste and product rework.
Fortress customers report that manually performing these regular performance verifications on gravity metal detectors can be especially time-consuming. Mainly due to the challenges of accessing machinery positioned at height, which can be difficult to access and bring with it other safety risks. “Without Halo Automatic Testing it is virtually impossible to repeatedly and accurately replicate a metal contaminant passing through the exact center of the product flow, within the aperture, in enclosed free-flowing gravity applications,” notes Eric.
With many Gravity metal detectors located near product silos above production lines, climbing up to perform this task manually can be a two-person task and carries some potential safety risks.
To comply with global Weights and Measures Regulations, wholesale and food service products packed to set weights also need to be verified. A heavy application checkweigher can be integrated with metal detectors to ensure each product meets the nominal weight. The exhibit at Pack Expo 2025 demonstrates the compactness of the latest combination systems and how special features on the Fortress Raptor BBK can mitigate workforce lifting and repetitive strain injuries.
The ability to configure a customized conveyor reject collection system and select a reject option to suit plant layouts, e.g. belt-stop-alarm, heavy duty kickers or an overhead sweep, further boosts the efficiency of these heavy-duty inspection machines, notes Eric.
Food safety guidance states that critical control points (CCPs) should be located at any step in the process where hazards can be prevented, eliminated or reduced to acceptable levels, reaffirms Eric.
To strike the right balance between compliance and profitability, large format food processors should adopt a multi-point inspection strategy, combining upstream contaminant detection of free-flowing product with end-of-line metal detection and checkweighing. “This layered approach can significantly reduce food waste, lower the risk of costly recalls, enhance traceability, protect profit margins and help uphold brand reputation,” ends Eric.
The addition of Contact 4.0, Fortress Technology’s digital monitoring, data collection and reporting platform, provides real-time access to performance data, automated recordkeeping and centralized system oversight. This eliminates the need for manual data collection and helps ensure that compliance records are always audit-ready.
Choosing a single supplier like Fortress Technology, which offers a full suite of metal detectors, checkweighers and X-ray inspection systems, enables food producers to adopt a cohesive approach across all facilities. The result is greater standardization in inspection capabilities, ease of training and data reporting, and ultimately a higher degree of operational resilience.
The Raptor BBK Combination metal detector and checkweigher is an ideal choice, delivering accurate weighing and uncompromised metal detector performance in the most compact footprint. Find out more about what Fortress Technology has to offer at Pack Expo 2025 Las Vegas, booth W-3670.
Innovations in Food (& Beverage) Processing & Packaging is a bi-monthly magazine distributed globally in Digital format. www.innovationsfood.com. Twitter: @Innovfoodtech. Instagram: @innovationsinfoodtechnology. Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/terry-prior52
