Award-winning food manufacturer, Brighter Foods, has recently invested in X-ray inspection technology from Loma Systems – the leading manufacturer of high-performance metal detectors, checkweighers and X-ray inspection systems for the global food and pharmaceutical industries. The move supports an increased emphasis in the company’s product checking processes.
Launched in 2014, Brighter Foods has the capacity to make over a million bars a day for brand partners across the globe in the slimming, sport, organic, free-from and other niche categories.
The firm’s ongoing reliance in Loma Systems’ metal detectors has continued to provide high levels of contamination detection, however, as a means of complying with code of practice (COP) stipulations, an increasing number of customers needed even greater checks through the use of X-ray inspection.
This, in addition to recommendations made in their BRC audit, highlighted that Brighter Foods should consider further investment in X-ray inspection capability. The company approached Loma Systems to understand how an X-ray system could benefit their business.
Following a full audit of Brighter Foods’ current operation, Loma Systems recommended their X5C compact, which checks for a wide selection of contaminants from metal to hard plastics.
Incorporating an air blast reject system to detect and remove any contaminated product, the system is perfect for convenience food, ready meals and small packaged goods. Occupying a small footprint, the machine can easily fit into a relatively narrow production line length.
The XC5 also provides the added benefit of being able to analyse product integrity, including counting the number of bars within the pack, checking the volume per bar, and ensuring the product is undamaged.
Previously a labour intensive, time consuming process, in the event of any defect, the product is now quickly removed from the production line and logged on the system, so that Brighter Foods can investigate.
David John, Brighter Foods’ engineering manager, said: “Loma Systems’ X5C X-ray solution gives us total peace of mind as I now know within each pack we ship there are the correct number of bars, the correct volume and all product is checked for any possible contaminants.”
Like all Loma Systems’ machines, the X5C can be configured to suit the latest code of practice to ensure compliance. It also has a simplified, yet powerful inspection feature set, plug and play installation and software, reliable inspection and low ongoing running costs.
“Having had experience of Loma Systems previously, Brighter Foods were happy to select them again. We are always looking at how to do things even better and this helps underpin our strong quality values,” said Mr John.
“With the Loma Systems X5C in place this gives us extra confidence that the products we ship are to the highest quality and reduced the requirements to complete manual checks.
“Overall the performance and reliability the X5C delivers has surpassed my expectations and we can feel comfortable in the knowledge that every bar we ship has been quality and safety checked. Our customers are very happy we now have these checks in place.”
