Safeline Helps Automate Food Safety At Major Bakery
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With food safety a number one priority for food processors and restauranteurs alike, both large and small commercial bakeries turn to metal detection pioneer, Safeline for help. To meet the needs of a major bakery, Safeline's POWERPHASE metal detectors provide reporting capabilities and metal detection sensitivities that have become the standard of the quality control industry.
Consumers view something from the oven as safe, comfortable food and it's Safeline's goal to help bakeries keep the promise of food safety. On the factory floor of a large bakery in the Southern USA, the plant's two POWERPHASE conveyor metal detectors provide QC personnel with data that helps assure that detector sensitivities are being maintained and gives documentation for HACCP compliance and Vendor Certification programs.
The POWERPHASE detectors were installed at the bakery with no disruption in production and Safeline technicians trained QC personnel on operating the detectors. "The detectors were installed without a glitch," noted the plant operations manager and within a few hours all the information such as product settings and sensitivity parameters were input. POWERPHASE detectors have a multi-frequency capability that enables a single metal detector to run conductive product and non-conductive product such as fresh and frozen product, while maximizing detector sensitivity for each product.
"We're always looking for cutting-edge technology," said the bakery's operations manager. "The Safeline detectors fit into our company values of being the best at what we do and providing the best quality for the consumer. Installing this system enabled us to be proactive about quality control. We're lovin' it." The bakery serves foodservice customers including restaurant, fast food, and hotel chains throughout the Southeast region from Virginia to Texas. In three shifts a day, seven days a week, the plant produces par-baked, frozen breads and rolls.
"Foodservice operators want easier ways to prepare their products, while maintaining both quality and quantity. Frozen par-baked bread requires less time to prepare and less training for restaurant staff. Baking is a long process. We try to eliminate that process for our restaurant customers so they can focus on their core competencies - entrees, for example," noted the bakery operations manager. Assuring that these breads are metal-contamination-free is crucial.
After par baking and freezing, the specialty breads are sent to the packaging room, where they are inspected for metal as a final quality check. Each packaging line has a conveyorized Safeline POWERPHASE metal detector to inspect the breads just before packaging. The Safeline POWERPHASE metal detectors provide enhanced sensitivity to metal, especially stainless steel. Any rejected product is immediately removed and taken to the lab for evaluation. Prompt inspection of rejected product allows bakery QC personnel to determine the source of contamination and make corrections quickly.
Through various computer links, the POWERPHASE can provide the documentation critical for complying with HACCP and Vendor Certification programs. The POWERPHASE can provide reports on time-and-date stamped rejection incidences, real-time status of each detector on the network, information on individual detector settings, historical data on testing and shift reports. Important features of Safeline's software allow the bakery to customize reports and export information into other applications such as spreadsheet or database programs.
The POWERPHASE has built-in security that allows operations management to specify who can access various levels of the program, preventing tampering with shift reports or documentation. All Safeline systems are USDA approved, suitable for clean-in-place and heavy washdown. Safeline's "extreme" washdown spec enclosure is built to withstand the true washdown conditions at this bakery and other food plants exceeding NEMA 4X requirements for washdown.
"This system has done everything we expected it to," says the bakery operations manager. "It gives us extra assurance that we're doing everything we can to guarantee the highest possible product quality. We owe that to customers who rely on the products from our ovens!"