Fresh Prepared Foods

Ensuring food safety in fresh prepared food production

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Food safety & traceability

The production of fresh prepared foods, such as salads, sandwiches and other ready-to-eat meals, requires strict and high-quality standards for food safety, efficiency and traceability. As consumer expectations and retailer requirements grow, alongside regulatory standards like HACCP, IFS and FSMA, implementing advanced solutions becomes essential. Bizerba offers tailored technologies that enable you to optimize the food production process while minimizing risks, such as contamination.
Technologies

Solutions for food safety and traceability

Our technologies—from precise weight control, foreign object detection and seal inspection, to advanced label checks and reliable traceability—minimize errors in food production and maximize efficiency. Additionally, our systems ensure comprehensive traceability across the production line. 

Overview of our technologies

Real-time weight control
Benefits:
Ensures compliance with fill quantities, margin optimization and increased consumer trust

Solutions:
Checkweighers with up to ±0.1 g accuracy and up to 400 ppm 
Foreign body
detection
Benefits:
Protects quality by preventing contamination, reducing product recalls, and safeguarding consumers 

Solutions:
X-ray systems & metal detectors detecting foreign objects as small as 0.6 mm
Data management & labeling
Benefits:
High print quality, future-ready data management for traceable 2D codes 

Solutions:
Fully automated labelers for GS1 Digital Links on labels 
Visual
inspection
Benefits:
Ensures seal and label quality, enhances product appearance

Solutions:
Camera-inspection systems verifying correct allergen labeling
Error types

Challenges in freshly prepared food production

In the fast-paced food industry, it's not uncommon for companies to overlook potential risks stemming from inefficient systems or inadequate control measures. These vulnerabilities can lurk unnoticed until they manifest in costly and damaging issues like product recalls or sudden production halts. Such events not only disrupt operations but can severely tarnish a brand's reputation and consumer trust. To mitigate these risks, businesses must adopt a proactive approach by regularly reviewing and updating their production processes to catch potential pitfalls before they escalate. Taking proactive steps to review processes can secure the future of your business. Here are some common vulnerabilities: 

  • Over- or underfilling: Inconsistent fill quantities lead to higher costs or dissatisfied customers.
  • Foreign contamination: Undetected foreign bodies compromise product safety, potentially resulting in recalls, penalties and brand damage.
  • Packaging errors: Improperly sealed packages threaten product safety and can damage your brand reputation.
  • Labeling errors: Incorrectly labeled products pose a risk to consumers, leading to recalls and reputational harm.
  • Lack of traceability: A lack of process oversight and ingredient-batch tracking can magnify damages in case of product recalls.
100% Control

Optimizing food production with advanced safety solutions

Implementing Bizerba technologies into your production processes allows for a comprehensive, step-by-step optimization of your food production line, ensuring the highest standards of safety and efficiency: 

  1. Weight control: Fresh prepared foods are precisely weighed with the CWDmaxx checkweigher to ensure target values.  
  2. Foreign body detection: Foreign objects are either detected by using the XRE-D Pro X-ray system or the iMD Pro metal detector. 
  3. Packaging: After packaging, the SealSecure basic vision system checks the seal for air pockets and contaminants. 
  4. Labeling & traceability: The PAS-I CleanCut linerless labeling system, in conjunction with BRAIN2, applies precise labels with traceable 2D codes. 
  5. Documentation & label verification: The LabelSecure vision system verifies correct labeling and documents results. 
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FAQ

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In the realm of food safety, ensuring the integrity of products is paramount, and Bizerba’s solutions are designed with this critical goal in mind. Our technologies provide a robust framework for maintaining product safety by automating the detection of packaging and labeling errors, which reduces the risk of mislabeling and potential allergens reaching the consumer. Alongside these features, precise weight control is implemented to maintain consistent portion sizes, thus optimizing material usage and reducing costs. Thorough foreign object inspection complements these efforts by identifying and eliminating any unwanted materials that may compromise product quality or safety, employing cutting-edge technology such as X-ray and metal detection systems. These comprehensive solutions not only enhance the reliability of food production processes but also bolster consumer trust by adhering to the highest safety standards. 

Traceability in food production is a critical component for ensuring both product safety and operational efficiency, and Bizerba's advancements in this area are crucial. Our sophisticated data management and labeling systems facilitate the use of 2D codes on packages, which are pivotal for tracking products through the supply chain. These codes allow businesses to instantly access comprehensive information about a product's origin, ingredient sources, and the conditions under which it was processed, thus fostering transparency and trust. Furthermore, systems like LabelSecure are pivotal in verifying and documenting labels and codes, providing an extra layer of assurance and comprehensive traceability.  

Linerless labels, such as Bizerba's CleanCut labels, present a significant innovation in the packaging industry by eliminating the need for backing materials, thus completely preventing liner waste. This advancement not only contributes to a more sustainable production process but also reduces the environmental footprint of food manufacturers. By eradicating the waste associated with traditional label liners, companies can curtail disposal costs and streamline their waste management procedures. 

The CWFmaxx checkweigher offers high flexibility and precision for your weighing requirements. It supports a weight range of up to 1,500 g and provides accurate resolution with increments ranging from 0.1 g to 0.5 g. The scale can handle a maximum throughput of up to 400 packages per minute, depending on conveyor length and speed. With a robust stainless steel housing and an IP65 protection rating, it is well-suited for use in demanding production environments. The CWFmaxx features a 12-inch color touchscreen and offers a variety of interfaces, including 8 I/Os and OPC UA. It operates within a temperature range of 0°C to 40°C and can function in humidity levels up to 90%. 

The LabelSecure system provides precise verification of correct labeling, including verification of pre-printed packaging materials. This involves thorough checks of type, content and positioning, ensuring that each package not only meets safety standards but also complies with regulatory requirements. 

Yes, Bizerba understands the unique challenges faced by each food manufacturer, which is why we offer bespoke solutions designed to seamlessly integrate with your existing production line. 

In the realm of producing fresh prepared food, X-ray systems present a suite of unparalleled advantages, revolutionizing the way manufacturers ensure food safety and quality. These systems are adept at providing precise foreign object detection, an essential capability in an industry where product purity is critical. By identifying contaminants that might otherwise go undetected, such as metal fragments, glass shards, or dense plastic pieces, X-ray systems not only uphold high product quality but also significantly enhance food safety by mitigating the risks of contamination. Their ability to bolster regulatory compliance is another key advantage, as the food industry faces stringent guidelines that necessitate reliable detection methods.  

Our X-ray systems detect foreign objects of various sizes, typically from a few millimeters, depending on the material type (in fresh prepared food often from 0.6 mm). Detectable materials include metal, glass, plastic, and bone, greatly enhancing product safety and quality. The precision of these systems ensures that even the smallest contaminants are identified, preventing any compromise in the consumer's safety. This capability is particularly crucial in the fast-paced food production environment where cross-contamination risks remain ever-present. 

In the intricate landscape of food production, ensuring the integrity of seals is paramount to maintaining the overall quality and safety of food products. Common contaminants often found in seals include residual food particles or air pockets, both of which can compromise the product's freshness and safety. These contaminants, if left undetected, pose a risk to consumer health and loss of consumer trust. Advanced vision-inspection systems deployed in production lines are designed to detect anomalies with exceptional accuracy. They identify even the smallest foreign objects or inconsistencies, which can be as small as 1 mm² depending on the product condition, preventing false rejects. This precise detection capability is crucial in preventing any breach that might allow contaminants to affect the product's safety.  

Monitoring should typically be positioned as close as possible to the point where issues are likely to arise, minimizing unnecessary processing steps. Placing these systems immediately after the products are packaged or labeled, yet before palletization or shipping, ensures they serve as the final safeguard against quality defects. By implementing this checkpoint at such a critical stage, manufacturers can conduct thorough quality checks that assess not only the integrity of the packaging but also the accuracy of labeling and other essential parameters. This final line of defense is crucial for ensuring that only top-quality products reach the market, reducing the risk of recalls and maintaining consumer trust in the brand. Moreover, this strategic positioning enables swift resolution of any issues, preventing potential backlogs and ensuring a smooth, efficient flow from production to shipment.