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Food Safety

We Have What You Need Food SafetyDon’t Miss What We Offer for Food Safety

The food industry is an essential and vast sector that encompasses the production, processing, packaging, distribution, and marketing of food products to meet the ever-increasing demand of consumers worldwide and we consider Regal’s role in the food industry nearly as important as any other component. It plays a crucial role in nourishing the population and driving economic growth across the globe.

Most people think of the food industry as the companies that grow, manufacture, process, package or distribute food, whether it’s animal, plant, “man-made,” organic or genetically modified.  We think about the various branches of the food industry: agriculture, food service, food manufacturing and retail.

The food industry creates jobs at various stages of the food supply chain which contributes to the overall GDP through the production and sale of food products.  And it supports other industries such as packaging, transportation, and logistics.  The industry also drives innovation and creating new business opportunities all along the way.

It is often the “new frontier” of food that captures the attention and prints the headlines, like the rise of plant-based and alternative proteins to cater to the growing demand for vegetarian and vegan options.

Then there is increasing focus on sustainability, with companies embracing eco-friendly policies and waste reduction. Furthermore, we have the innovation of technology with an ever increasing plethora of food delivery apps, smart appliances, and blockchain for supply chain supervision. And let’s not forget an emphasis on health and wellness, with consumers in search of purposeful, wholesome foods and beverages.

But to the average consumer, there is a hidden industry behind these companies, namely, food technology.  These are the companies that provide food processing, transport, packaging and handling equipment.  Someone has to design and manufacture the machine that will package breakfast cereal both in the bag and the box the bag goes in.  And that’s just the tip of the proverbial iceberg.

These manufacturers have to deal with a plethora of safety concerns, not only for the people working in the plant, but also for everyone working on the farms, orchards and ranches.  And then there’s the safety of the food itself.

That’s where Regal Packaging Services meets the need.  We represent Fortress Technology, selling and servicing metal detectors and checkweighers.  Additionally, we rent metal detectors for those times when you need a temporary replacement unit or you need to run a quality control check on food that’s on hold.  We also audit all brands of metal detectors, so when you’re getting ready for an audit, you can be sure each detector has been 3rd party inspected and meets the standards of your HACCP plan.

And, here in the Testrods division of the company we manufacture our own line of metal detection and x-ray inspection verification test pieces.  We are ISO certified and consider our role in the food safety chain a very important component of what shows up on breakfast tables all over the world.  Currently, we have customers in 27 different countries, not including the US.  Our test pieces are used from Ecuador to Australia, from South Africa to Poland.

We have 17 different contaminant types in a wide variety of sizes, including:

Aluminum

 Delrin (Acetal) Polypropylene

Bone Simulate

 EPDM Rubber

PTFE (Teflon)

Buna Rubber

 Ferrous (Chrome Steel)

PVC

EPDM Rubber

 Fused (Synthetic) Quartz Soda-Lime Glass

Viton Rubber

 Non-Ferrous (Brass)

Stainless Steel 316
Ceramic AL203 Nylon

Viton Rubber
Ceramic ZrO2

 

Our standard test pieces are:

1/2″ x 5″ Rods (Wands) 1″ Cylinders
3/8″ x 2″ Rods (Wands) 3/4″ x 1/4″ Pucks
3/8″ x 6″ Rods (Wands) 1″ Cubes
20″ (flexible) Whips 1.5″ Cubes
1″ Balls Laminate Cards
1.5″ Balls Acetal Cards
2.0″ Balls Thermoform Cards
Nylon Case Hard Shell Cases

Beside those standard test pieces, we have the capability to manufacture a wide range of custom test pieces.  If you can imagine it, we can probably make it.  Whether it’s a replica of an ice cream cone, a candy bar or a 24ft flexible “rope” for a closed loop overhead application, let us know and we’ll come up with the perfect design.  And every test piece comes with a non-expiring certificate of conformity. Call us at 866-691-8560, email testrods@testrods.com or find us on LinkedIn.  Or, if you’re looking for a metal detector and your plant is in Ilinois, Indiana, Iowa or Wisconsin, call 630-942-8461.

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Floatable Thermoform Test Cards

Some applications involve large tubs, vats, or some other type of product travel where it would be nice to have a test piece that floats. Once again, our thermoform cards provide the simplest solution. We simply insert some type of structure that forces the thermoform card to retain air, which, of course, is what makes it float. We have also manufactured floating rods, which are more difficult because there is less space to close in enough air to make the rod float but is doable.

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We took an ordinary plastic “chip clip” as defined by the customer and embedded the contaminant into the clip. The clip can be attached to the product on the line without damaging or opening the product for testing purposes.

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Bone is a difficult contaminant to find because it can vary widely based on the size, age, and calcium content (as well as feed used) of the animal. After working with several customers, Regal Packaging Services offers Pork, Beef and Chicken Bone Simulate. We have a small range of sizes at a variety of depths to simulate whatever you might expect to find in the product. Our recommendation (assuming your x-ray has visual display) is always to start with a multi-card. Using a multi-card gives you an easy way to test several sizes and depths to determine what matches the bone you’re using. Once you’ve made a comparison, testing the card against the bone you’re looking for, you can purchase a card with a single contaminant for regular testing.

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This small pill shaped test piece is used in a system with a vacuum tube that shoots the test piece through the aperture and returns it to the “home” base. Your system may never be like it, but the point is that we can make a customized solution no matter how unusual or impossible it might seem.

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As you may have seen in some of the other thermoform card descriptions, we can put nearly as many seeds as you can imagine on a single card. Pictured here you will find a wide variety of configurations and contaminants. Just let us know your specs: size of the card (up to 8” x 8”) along with size and type contaminant(s) and we’ll get you a quote as quickly as possible. Working with a multi-card is especially helpful when you are looking for multiple types of contaminants or when you want to determine what size of the same contaminant you are able to detect. In that event, once the size is chosen, you can order individual card(s) for regular, standard inspection and detection.

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There are a wide range of applications that require a test piece much longer than our standard 5” or 6” Testrods. We can make up to 3/8” x 34” or 1/2” x 34” rigid test pieces which can then be extended well beyond that length with a “handle” made of acetal cylinder larger than the 3/8” or 1/2” extension. In the photos, we used a 1” x 24” cylinder handle with a 3/8” x 24” inch extension.

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Test pieces can be made in a variety of sizes and given a pointed end in applications that require the contaminant (metal) to be inserted into a food package such as sugar or some other soft packaged food product. This allows the metal to reach the center of the aperture.

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Double-End Test Whips are also available, with metal in both ends. One consideration is to make certain that the whip is long enough to keep the metal on the non-testing side of the whip outside the metal free zone of your detector. If you insert, for instance one end of a whip with 2.0mm and 3.0mm Ferrous, you need to make certain that the 2.0mm metal doesn’t affect the detection of the 3.0mm metal (and vice versa). If the 3.0mm metal is inside the metal free zone, then the detector will be reacting to the 2.0 as well as the 3.0 as if they were combined.

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Multi-seed laminate test cards are designed for seeds 4.0mm or less. Multi-cards are useful in x-ray inspection to determine what sizes and types of contaminants your system can achieve. They can be especially useful in temperate environments and applications. If your application is rugged or wet, or your standards are larger, we recommend our thermoform multi-cards.

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We can simulate a variety of packaging in an application where you need the test piece to mimic what is traveling down the production line. In this case, we manufactured a clear “package” with the seed inside. With this method, the customer is able to reject the container appropriately, and, in the event the package is not rejected, it is easily seen by the line worker for manual removal.

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There are two types of “candy bars” pictured here – one similar to a flat candy bar and the other in a custom, near perfect copy of a candy bar. Since we’re now able to produce many variations using colored material, the copy was made in red (Fe), green (NFe) and blue (SS 316). We have the equipment to accomplish nearly anything you can imagine, and these kinds of designs are proof positive.

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Need a test piece that looks and handles like chicken nugget? We can do it. Interestingly enough, in this situation, our first version for the customer left too much “void” in the hole where the metal was placed. Given the sensitivity the customer system was using, the void had the effect of causing false positives. We were able to minimize that hole and supply the test piece with almost no void. It’s an example of how we can work with you before, during and after manufacturing to ensure all the specifications were met.

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Our standard acetal card is 2 1/4"x3 3/8,” but if needed, we can cut that size down to as small as 1 1/4” x 1 1/4” (with limited engraving). If a larger card or a card with multiple seeds is needed, see our Custom Shape-Size Blocks and Tablets.

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This distinctive test piece was created to mimic an actual hamburger patty. The customer supplied photos of the raw product, which we were able to reproduce and then we placed blue glove contaminant. Using this configuration, the customer was able to determine what size piece the vision scanning system could detect with the raw burger as the background. Had they simply used a blank card with the glove, the system could easily have achieved contaminant rejection, but they needed to be sure the system could “see” the blue against the product itself.

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A card with 100 seeds in a 10x10 configuration is used to place beneath whole chickens on a production line. This gives the x-ray system operator the ability not just to see IF the equipment can detect the metal in the card, but also WHERE the equipment can detect it. If there is a problem, the operator (or company) can make any changes necessary to achieve the end goal – safe chicken in this case. This card really highlights another valuable facet of our thermoform cards.

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In this scenario, a company processing sugar needed to have a “bag” simulated with the same weight in order to accurately fall through the reject mechanism. A lighter test piece had the risk of passing over the reject mechanism.

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Our standard cubes are 1” and 1.5,” but we can also manufacture other sizes if needed. The cubes shown here are 1/2" in dimensions. Cubes can be helpful in applications where a ball or cylinder may bounce or roll away during testing, making their retrieval difficult, or, in some cases, present a hazard to the product or production equipment.

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This is a test piece that is dropped into a bottle. It’s designed so that the metal appears in the center of the aperture when testing the metal detector. In addition, the round stop makes the test piece easily removable after testing.

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Hexagonal Shaped test pieces can be very useful in places where a cylinder or ball might roll or bounce around a production floor whether dropped by a line worker or ejection from a reject mechanism. Hexagons are similar in weight to the 1inch cylinders without having the smooth, rounded cylinder edge.

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Our customer in this plant needed a test piece with a thickness less than 5.0mm. Because we have the capacity to customize sizes and shapes, we were able to mill down a product that met their specifications. That’s always our goal, meeting the specs you need for your product, testing environment and contaminants.