Food Engineering logo
  • Sign In
  • Create Account
  • Sign Out
  • My Account
  • NEWS
  • PRODUCTS
  • TOPICS
  • EXCLUSIVES
  • MEDIA
  • FOOD MASTER
  • EVENTS
  • RESOURCES
  • EMAGAZINE
  • SIGN UP!
cart
facebook twitter linkedin youtube
  • NEWS
  • Latest Headlines
  • Manufacturing News
  • People & Industry News
  • Plant Openings
  • Recalls
  • Regulatory Watch
  • Supplier News
  • PRODUCTS
  • New Plant Products
  • New Retail Products
  • TOPICS
  • Alternative Protein
  • Automation
  • Cannabis
  • Cleaning | Sanitation
  • Fabulous Food Plants
  • Food Safety
  • Maintenance Strategies
  • OEE
  • Packaging
  • Sustainability
  • More
  • EXCLUSIVES
  • Plant Construction Survey
  • Plant of the Year
  • Sustainable Plant of the Year
  • State of Food Manufacturing
  • Top 100 Food & Beverage Companies
  • MEDIA
  • Podcasts
  • Videos
  • Webinars
  • White Papers
  • EVENTS
  • Food Automation & Manufacturing Symposium and Expo
  • Industry Events
  • RESOURCES
  • eNewsletter
  • Custom Content & Marketing Services
  • FE Store
  • Government Links
  • Industry Associations
  • Market Research
  • Classified Ads
  • EMAGAZINE
  • eMagazine
  • Archive Issue
  • Advertise
Food Engineering logo
search
cart
facebook twitter linkedin youtube
  • Sign In
  • Create Account
  • Sign Out
  • My Account
Food Engineering logo
  • NEWS
    • Latest Headlines
    • Manufacturing News
    • People & Industry News
    • Plant Openings
    • Recalls
    • Regulatory Watch
    • Supplier News
  • PRODUCTS
    • New Plant Products
    • New Retail Products
  • TOPICS
    • Alternative Protein
    • Automation
    • Cannabis
    • Cleaning | Sanitation
    • Fabulous Food Plants
    • Food Safety
    • Maintenance Strategies
    • OEE
    • Packaging
    • Sustainability
    • More
  • EXCLUSIVES
    • Plant Construction Survey
    • Plant of the Year
    • Sustainable Plant of the Year
    • State of Food Manufacturing
    • Top 100 Food & Beverage Companies
  • MEDIA
    • Podcasts
    • Videos
    • Webinars
    • White Papers
  • FOOD MASTER
  • EVENTS
    • Food Automation & Manufacturing Symposium and Expo
    • Industry Events
  • RESOURCES
    • eNewsletter
    • Custom Content & Marketing Services
    • FE Store
    • Government Links
    • Industry Associations
    • Market Research
    • Classified Ads
  • EMAGAZINE
    • eMagazine
    • Archive Issue
    • Advertise
  • SIGN UP!

Inspection keeps food products

February 9, 2006
Like finding a needle in a haystack, this system can sense 0.8 mm metal particles in a fast-moving line.

Safeline vertical inspection minimizes space requirements and provides improved sensitivity for the inspection of finished products. Source: Burke Corporation.


Burke Corporation, a leading manufacturer of fully cooked meat products that include pizza toppings, meatballs and taco fillings, produces high-quality, consistent, and safe products that are made to its customers' specifications. The company's commitment to the customer is reflected in the motto, "Always make it your best."

Although Burke's food safety programs meet or exceed government and industry standards, the processor seeks continuous improvement and constantly raises the bar to enhance food safety. Burke continually monitors sources that may introduce metal particles into the production process. One source, the raw meat ingredients used to produce cooked meat products, may contain small pieces of metal that are undetected during the raw blending process. Another potential source is the contact friction and vibration of metal processing equipment, which may shed fine particles or cause metal parts to be displaced into the product flow.

In the rare instances that metal is detected in finished product, Burke uses a program developed in partnership with the Iowa State University Metals Department to identify and analyze the composition of the particles and determine their source. In order to promptly remedy problems that are traced back to equipment, the company keeps the elemental composition of key machines in its production line on file. While most metals found are stainless steel and low alloy steel, occasionally metals with aluminum and copper are detected.

"Our latest plant expansion provided us with an opportunity to implement our philosophy of continuous improvement and even further raise the bar to enhance our metal particle detection and elimination process," says Jim Chittenden, process and quality control manager. Prior to its recent expansion, Burke's incoming raw meat metal detection was capable of finding particles as small as 5.0 mm. While this was acceptable by industry standards, Burke's new system makes use of a smaller aperture for screening raw meats that can find particles as small as 2.4 mm. With more sensitive detection prior to its grinding operation, the processor has been able to more effectively partner with its vendors to reduce metal in incoming raw materials. "We've also added new metal detection equipment on our two production lines that enables us to find particles as small as 1.0 mm, compared to 1.50 to 2.0 mm with our old system," says Chittenden.

For this expansion project, Burke's list of objectives included improving its metal detection capabilities on both the raw and cooked sides of its operation. Having used Safeline detection systems for many years, Burke has been satisfied with the performance of its units.

The plant faced several challenges in upgrading its system to be effective and efficient as possible. "We worked closely with Safeline's engineering group to develop a system that would achieve excellent metal detection sensitivity levels," says Chittenden, "while at the same time maximizing productivity levels."

Burke operates under USDA inspection and ensures food safety with HACCP plans. Any metal detected in the system is collected and a nonconformance process is initiated to determine the source, followed by an action plan for improvement, such as vendor nonconformance reporting or equipment repair. All information is logged into a database as a permanent record of the findings.

"With this expansion, we are able to find smaller pieces of metal on both of our production lines, as well as in raw materials," says Chittenden. "Preliminary findings indicate that our products are now being monitored more thoroughly." u

For more information:
Diane Tomlinson, Mettler-Toledo Safeline, Inc., (800) 447-4439 x566, www.metaldetection.com

Share This Story

Looking for a reprint of this article?
From high-res PDFs to custom plaques, order your copy today!

Recommended Content

JOIN TODAY
to unlock your recommendations.

Already have an account? Sign In

  • Global Organic Food & Beverage Market to Grow

    Global Organic Food & Beverage Market to Grow

    With a CAGR of 12.07%, Bonafide Research estimates this...
    Latest headlines
  • skilled MEP worker

    Predicting Food and Beverage Manufacturing Trends for 2024

    The two words that should be kept in mind are labor and...
    Automation
    By: Derrick Teal
  • cleaning and sanitation

    The basics of cleaning and sanitation in food plants

    Sanitation maintains or restores a state of cleanliness...
    Food Safety
    By: Richard F. Stier
Manage My Account
  • eMagazine
  • eNewsletter
  • Online Registration
  • Manage My Preferences
  • Customer Service

Celebrating Women in Engineering: Shalima Sreenath

Celebrating Women in Engineering: Shalima Sreenath

Celebrating Women in Engineering: Samara Heaggans

Celebrating Women in Engineering: Samara Heaggans

Food Plant Openings and Expansions May 2025

Food Plant Openings and Expansions May 2025

OT Cybersecurity Vulnerabilities in Food Manufacturing Facilities

OT Cybersecurity Vulnerabilities in Food Manufacturing Facilities

More Videos

Popular Stories

Chicken Alfredo Listeria Products

Listeria Outbreak Connected with Pre-Made Chicken Alfredo Meals Results in 3 Deaths

mechanical and chemical recycling

Clean Label Packaging Expands to Include Sustainability Considerations

Yoplait Protein Yogurt

General Mills Sells North American Yogurt Business

CHECK OUT OUR NEW ESSENTIAL TOPICS

Alternative ProteinAutomationCleaning/SanitationFabulous Food Plants

Food SafetyMaintenance StrategiesOEE

PackagingSustainability

Events

June 17, 2025

Refrigerated & Frozen Foods’ State of the Cold Chain

On Demand Kelley Rodriguez, Editor in Chief of Refrigerated & Frozen Foods, will be joined in this 60-minute webinar by industry experts to help unpack the latest research.

July 10, 2025

Smarter Innovation With Practical AI: How to Stay Agile in Uncertain Times

Regulatory updates, supply chain shifts and evolving consumer demands keep the food and beverage industry in a state of constant change.

View All Submit An Event

Products

Recent Advances in Ready-to-Eat Food Technology

Recent Advances in Ready-to-Eat Food Technology

See More Products

Plant of the Year

Related Articles

  • Food Packaging: Improved appearance and leak resistance ‘in the bag’ for Mexican food products

    See More
  • Food Safety: How safe are our products?

    See More
  • RegulatoryWatch: FDA restricts import of European animal products

    See More
×

Elevate your expertise in food engineering with unparalleled insights and connections.

Get the latest industry updates tailored your way.

JOIN TODAY!
  • RESOURCES
    • Advertise
    • Contact Us
    • Food Master
    • Store
    • Want More
  • SIGN UP TODAY
    • Create Account
    • eMagazine
    • eNewsletter
    • Customer Service
    • Manage Preferences
  • SERVICES
    • Marketing Services
    • Reprints
    • Market Research
    • List Rental
    • Survey/Respondent Access
  • STAY CONNECTED
    • LinkedIn
    • Facebook
    • YouTube
    • X (Twitter)
  • PRIVACY
    • PRIVACY POLICY
    • TERMS & CONDITIONS
    • DO NOT SELL MY PERSONAL INFORMATION
    • PRIVACY REQUEST
    • ACCESSIBILITY

Copyright ©2025. All Rights Reserved BNP Media.

Design, CMS, Hosting & Web Development :: ePublishing

Food Engineering logo
search
cart
facebook twitter linkedin youtube
  • Sign In
  • Create Account
  • Sign Out
  • My Account
Food Engineering logo
  • NEWS
    • Latest Headlines
    • Manufacturing News
    • People & Industry News
    • Plant Openings
    • Recalls
    • Regulatory Watch
    • Supplier News
  • PRODUCTS
    • New Plant Products
    • New Retail Products
  • TOPICS
    • Alternative Protein
    • Automation
    • Cannabis
    • Cleaning | Sanitation
    • Fabulous Food Plants
    • Food Safety
    • Maintenance Strategies
    • OEE
    • Packaging
    • Sustainability
    • More
  • EXCLUSIVES
    • Plant Construction Survey
    • Plant of the Year
    • Sustainable Plant of the Year
    • State of Food Manufacturing
    • Top 100 Food & Beverage Companies
  • MEDIA
    • Podcasts
    • Videos
    • Webinars
    • White Papers
  • FOOD MASTER
  • EVENTS
    • Food Automation & Manufacturing Symposium and Expo
    • Industry Events
  • RESOURCES
    • eNewsletter
    • Custom Content & Marketing Services
    • FE Store
    • Government Links
    • Industry Associations
    • Market Research
    • Classified Ads
  • EMAGAZINE
    • eMagazine
    • Archive Issue
    • Advertise
  • SIGN UP!