IDM ¦ Technology/IT
Food Radar Systems
The latest weapon in the fight against foreign bodies
Since launching their pioneering in-pipe technology in
2010, the food safety experts at Food Radar Systems
in Gothenburg, Sweden, have been on quite a journey.
The ‘Food Radar’, which quickly detects and removes
previously undetectable foreign bodies from food production
lines, has been creating quite a stir in the industry. Now
boasting a client list of major international food manufacturers
that would be the envy of most food tech companies, their story
is one of continuous innovation through technical know-how and
customer focus.
The ever-present threat
Food contamination is an ever-present threat to manufacturers and
consumers alike – and it’s very bad for business. To fully comply
with health and safety legislation, food manufacturers must be
able to demonstrate that they have taken every reasonable precaution
to prevent contamination of their product. The good news
for everyone now is that, with the Food Radar, it is now possible to
achieve a higher level of food safety than ever before.
And this is a benefit that is now being enjoyed by many established
international food manufacturers such as Emmi of Switzerland.
Thomas Arnold, Plant Manager (Emmen) told us: “Product
safety has always been a strong focus in our company. We invested
in our first Food Radar system in 2014 and last year we decided
to put in a second system with all the improvement the new 3rd
generation offers.”
Even low-density foreign bodies are
detected
The Food Radar is unlike any other food safety technology. Specially
devised to maximise the quality of pumpable food products
such as baby food, sauces, soups, fruit preparations and desserts,
the Food Radar sets a new standard of safety for food manufacturing.
Whereas other detection systems remove mainly high-density
contaminants such as metal, glass and stone, the Food Radar adds
a crucial layer of safety by removing low-density foreign bodies
(e.g., soft plastic, fruit stones and rubber), which are undetectable
using traditional technologies. Using an entirely safe but highly effective
microwave technology, the Food Radar gives cutting-edge
protection from the constant and serious threat of these contaminants
– it quite literally makes the invisible visible!
While achieving unparalleled levels of foreign body detection,
the microwave technology operates at a wattage emission equivalent
to a thousandth of the emissions of a mobile phone and
around a millionth of the emissions of a microwave oven. So, there
is certainly no impact to either the operator of the technology or
the food product being monitored.
Low-density foreign bodies, particularly soft plastic, continue
to be the most common and hard to detect contaminants, and
the many food manufacturers that approach Food Radar Systems
continually stress that this is an increasing problem. Kraft Heinz
was one of the first companies that invested in a Food Radar. After
discovering early, the capabilities of the system, one of its leading
food safety directors said: “We find this technology very interesting
for helping to eliminate low density foreign matter, in particular
plastics, thereby further ensuring the quality of the product we
deliver to our customers.” And Kraft Heinz has now been using
the technology for nine years, investing in various new Food Radar
systems during that time.
Customer partnership has always formed a key part of Food
Radar Systems’ business philosophy. The company prides itself on
working with its customers to provide tailor-made solutions and exemplary
customer service. For example, in 2014, the team worked
with Geurts, a Dutch jam manufacturer that, while running the
Food Radar, was experiencing many false rejections due to air bubbles
in its product. Determined to help their customer realise the
full benefits of the system, the team at Food Radar Systems developed
the ‘Air Zip’, which removes lose air in the pipes. With the
two systems running in tandem, the client has now experienced
a 95% reduction in complaints about fruit stone contamination.
Continual innovation
So continual innovation is a key part of the Food Radar story, with
the technology now in its third generation. Whereas before, the
Food Radar required a set amount of physical space in the client’s
production facility, the technology has now been redesigned to fit
wherever the customer needs it to – it requires no floor space. “In
light of the enormous benefits it adds to the production process
our customers are always surprised to see how discreet and easy
to install the Food Radar really is,” says Development Manager of
Food Radar Systems, Joakim Nilsson.
The system
The system consists of three main parts, namely an operator panel,
sensor unit and a reject valve (3A). All other components are enclosed
within one stainless steel cabinet and, of course, are con-
18 · September/October 2021 ¦ international-dairy.com
/international-dairy.com
