Foreign Body Detection & Removal Equipment Procedure

Assess the risk before selecting the control

Technical or Quality Management determines where foreign-body detection or removal equipment is required through a structured assessment carried out as part of the food safety plan. The assessment considers the suitability of detection and separation technologies for the contamination risks within each production process, with the supporting hazard identification and evaluation completed through the HACCP hazard-analysis arrangements.

For each system, the procedure requires documented information covering the technology used, its location in the process and the applicable sensitivity, operational threshold, rejection threshold or separation capability. Selection and sensitivity are expected to reflect recognised industry practice and to be suitable for the ingredients, materials, product characteristics and packaging format being processed.

Equipment type, installation location and operating sensitivity are then validated and justified for the conditions in which the equipment will be used. The validation considers factors that can influence detection sensitivity, including process location, ingredients, product characteristics and packaging format, while validation and verification of control effectiveness within the food safety plan are linked to the HACCP validation and verification procedure.

Keep the equipment definition current as the process changes

The control framework does not stop at initial selection. Technical or Quality Management maintains documented information describing each foreign-body detection or removal system and updates it when equipment is installed, relocated, modified or replaced.

This keeps the FSQMS description of the contamination-control measures aligned with the equipment actually used in production and provides a defined basis for subsequent verification of suitability and performance.

Verify detection and rejection under production conditions

Testing frequency is established by Technical Management so that equipment performance is checked routinely. In setting that frequency, the procedure requires consideration of applicable customer requirements and the site’s ability to identify, isolate, hold and control product produced between tests if equipment failure occurs.

For metal detection, verification uses clearly identified test pieces containing spheres of known diameter selected on the basis of contamination risk. Separate ferrous, stainless-steel and non-ferrous test pieces are used, except where foil packaging makes a ferrous-only test piece applicable. Testing confirms both detection and rejection, includes checks of fail-safe systems and is carried out under normal production conditions. Where practicable, test pieces are used with the product being produced and are positioned to challenge the least sensitive area of the detector.

X-ray verification follows the same principle of testing under normal production conditions, using identified test pieces appropriate to the detection capability of the X-ray system. The test confirms contaminant detection, rejection-system performance and fail-safe operation. For in-line metal detection and X-ray systems, the procedure also requires verification at line start-up and at the end of the production period, in addition to checks carried out throughout operations.

Where detection or removal equipment is designated as a Critical Control Point, its monitoring is governed by the HACCP Monitoring of CCPs Procedure rather than being treated as an ordinary equipment check.

Control equipment failure and the product made since the last satisfactory result

The procedure contains a defined response when foreign-body detection or removal equipment fails or operates incorrectly. Production personnel report the failure immediately, and the affected equipment is removed from service until the malfunction has been investigated and the equipment has been repaired, adjusted or verified as functioning correctly.

Product produced since the last satisfactory monitoring result is isolated from normal product flow and placed under quarantine control. Re-inspection must use a foreign-body detection or inspection method with capability at least equivalent to the validated sensitivity and detection assurance that the original equipment would have provided.

Where the failed equipment forms part of a CCP, re-inspection is limited to equipment that provides capability at least equivalent to the validated CCP parameters. The failure is treated as a CCP deviation and managed through the Corrective Action for CCP Deviations Procedure. Product containment and disposition remain governed by the Non-Conforming Product Control Procedure, preserving the distinction between equipment recovery and product-status control.

Use detection results to investigate contamination and recurrence

Detected or removed foreign material is not treated only as a rejected unit. Technical Management investigates the contamination source and reviews rejected product, rejected materials and removed foreign material for trends.

Where repeated events or identifiable contamination sources are found, preventive action is required to reduce the likelihood of recurrence. Where an investigation identifies a food-safety risk that requires escalation beyond site-level containment, the procedure connects the response to incident management, withdrawal and recall controls; corrective and preventive actions arising from investigations or identified weaknesses are managed through the corresponding corrective-action procedure.

Apply controls that reflect the technology in use

The procedure develops technology-specific requirements rather than treating every foreign-body control as though it operates in the same way.

For filters and sieves, Technical Management defines the mesh size or gauge and determines inspection or testing frequency from process and product risk. Integrity checks are recorded, and damage triggers investigation of potential product contamination and corrective action.

For magnetic separation, documented information covers magnet type, location and strength. Engineering performs inspection, cleaning, strength testing and integrity checks, while Production or Operations carries out routine operational checks and records the results. Optical sorting equipment used for final product inspection is checked in line with manufacturer instructions or recommendations, with completion recorded for verification.

Where rigid containers may introduce foreign material, risk-based preventive controls can include covered conveyors, inversion systems and water- or air-jet cleaning. Container-cleaning systems are checked during each production run, and where a rejection mechanism is fitted, verification includes confirming detection and removal of a representative defective or contaminated container. Other specialised separation technologies, including gravity separation, fluid-bed separation and aspirators, are checked in accordance with manufacturer instructions or recommendations.

Allocate responsibility across technical, operations and engineering functions

Senior management provides the organisational resources, infrastructure and technical support needed for effective implementation and maintenance of the control system.

Technical or Quality Management governs the system, determines where equipment is required, defines type, location and sensitivity, establishes testing and verification arrangements, investigates contamination and escalates significant failures or weaknesses through the appropriate supporting procedures.

Production or Operations Management implements the operational controls, ensures equipment checks and testing are completed and controls potentially affected product. Engineering Management and Engineering Technicians maintain equipment condition, carry out servicing and technical verification and support the integrity of installed detection and rejection systems. Employees working with or around the controls are required to follow the procedure, report malfunctions or contamination incidents and cooperate with investigation and verification activity.

A foreign-body control procedure within the wider FSQMS

The procedure connects foreign-body detection and removal with the food safety plan, equipment and maintenance controls, non-conforming product, corrective and preventive action, incident management, document control and record control. Those interfaces are defined without transferring their separate decision or control requirements into this procedure.

For technical, quality, engineering and operations teams, the document provides a detailed framework for moving from contamination-risk assessment to validated equipment selection, routine verification, controlled failure response and investigation of actual contamination while retaining the evidence needed to demonstrate how the controls are being managed.