Reducing Metal Fragment Risk With HACCP Certified Magnet Validations
Magnets play an important role in product security of finished products and should be included in every food safety program to assist with removing the physical hazard of magnetic metal fragments from product streams. It is important, therefore, to ensure that magnets are at the specified strength for their expected duty, in the right location, and positioned correctly in the process to ensure maximum product stream coverage, extraction, and retention efficiency.
Just like metal detectors or X-ray devices, magnets control the food safety quality of ingredients and/or finished product. The clear difference is that magnets typically extract smaller metal particles than most metal detector or X-ray devices can detect.
If your plant does not have any magnets, it is a critical point to consider as using magnets greatly assists in reducing contamination risks in your products and improving your overall product food safety.
Magnets can also minimize costs and downtime by preventing damage to processing equipment.
In addition to ensuring specification, magnets should be tested yearly in accordance with a HACCP International program and the current 0909MAGSEP 1-2010 Food Safety Standard to ensure they are within specification and, if identified, any causes of demagnetization or damage to the magnet are flagged and can then be corrected.
The magnet validation checks should be carried out by HACCP International approved, trained and authorized technicians using currently calibrated gauss meter equipment, rather than dated and often inaccurate pull test calibrated methods. Modern-day contaminants are weakly magnetic (i.e. work-hardened stainless steel fragments from equipment and magnetic stone) and products must primarily contact the magnet surface – hence pull test measuring force at distance is now almost irrelevant. Calibrated gauss meter testing is being rapidly adopted by major food companies and auditors worldwide as the gauss test gives more definitive and specific results. It is important to note that pull text is excluded as an approved method of verifying magnets in the current above-mentioned standard.
Active Magnetics Research Pty Ltd specialize in providing third-party HACCP endorsed Magnet Validation Reports and metal fragment control risk assessments especially tailored to your plant. All authorized technicians representing AMR are trained and carry out the service using a currently calibrated gauss meter traceable to a NATA accredited laboratory.
This specified service proves its value beyond providing basic magnet strength readings in delivering a quality HACCP endorsed report containing realistic, and practical magnetic separation solutions keeping you aware of the latest technology to assist you in maintaining product security and brand protection.
Visit the AMR website to find out more about the importance of magnet validations, to contact trained testing technicians, or to book an appointment.
Click here for more information on magnet validations.
Want to know more about gauss testing vs pull testing? Click here to find out why pull testing is not suitable and not recommended by HACCP regulatory authorities.