Background knowledge
You've surely already heard in the media that food or medicines have had to be recalled because foreign bodies such as plastic particles were found in end products. There is a high risk of suffocation for consumers in the case of larger foreign bodies, since they get stuck and block the respiratory tracts to a great extent. The consequences of this have major financial effects and the brand's image suffers. Here are a few current or well-known recalls as an example:
- <link https: www.produktwarnung.eu rueckruf-plastikteile-hersteller-ruft-landjunker-hackfleisch-via-lidl-zurueck external-link-new-window>plastic parts in "Landjunker Hackfleisch gemischt, 500g" (Landjunker minced meat, mixed, 500 g) (14 July 2017, Germany)
- <link https: www.food.gov.uk news-updates news mtafoods-recalls-frozen-meat-free-mince-maycontain-plastic external-link-new-window>plastic parts in "Frozen Meat Free Mince" (28 June 2017, England)
- <link http: www.innocentsmoothies.ch presse pressetexte external-link-new-window>plastic parts in "innocent Super Smoothie Antioxidant" (27 May 2017, Austria)
- <link http: www.mars.com germany de press-center press-list external-link-new-window>plastic particles in chocolate products of the brands MARS®, SNICKERS®, MILKY WAY® and CELEBRATIONS® (7 March 2016)
- <link http: www.cleveland.com healthfit index.ssf johnson_johnson_recalls_motrin.html external-link-new-window>plastic particles in the medicine "Motrin Infants' Drops" (9 September 2013, USA)
In general, the numbers of recorded recalls of food products contaminated with pieces of plastic or rubber have more than doubled in 2016, according to a report by the trade magazine "<link http: www.qualityassurancemag.com article plastic-contaminated-food-recalls-double-in-2016>Quality Assurance & Food Safety".
Process optimisation to the next level
Detectable cable ties, tags, writing material, etc. have already been established in large parts of the pharmaceutical, chemical and food industries. With our <link security-seals product show pharmaflex-detetc.html _top external-link>Pharmaflex Detect, which is now new on the market, you can further increase the secure transport routes for your goods and the detectability of your security processes (e.g. HACCP process), thereby preventing risks and avoiding additional costs.
Unisto Pharmaflex Detect and its properties
The special manufacture of this tamper-evident adjustable-length security seal is based on our <link security-seals product show pharmaflex.html _top external-link>Unisto Pharmaflex. Through the loose manufacture and a special process, plastic fragments are prevented from falling into containers or bags that are used to transport liquids, powder, etc. In addition,<link security-seals product show pharmaflex-detetc.html _top external-link> Pharmaflex Detect is manufactured with a specially developed, food compliant plastic compound with a detectable filler. Security seals or parts of them that are accidentally knocked off can, under certain circumstances, end up in the goods to be processed. In the pharmaceutical, chemical and food industry, in particular, foreign particles are identified and sorted out by means of metal detectors or X-ray machines. The entire <link security-seals product show pharmaflex-detetc.html _top external-link>Pharmaflex Detect, or also parts of it, can be identified, thanks to the metal portion included, which is not the case with a conventional plastic security seal.
The raw materials used fulfil the following guidelines and regulations:
- Regulation 1935/2004/EC incl. Regulation 10/2011 ” materials and articles intended to come into contact with food”
- FDA food contact materials Code of Federal Regulations[CO1]. (CFR) "21 CFR 177.1520 + 21 CFR 176.170"
- EU Chemical Regulation 1907/2006/EC. <link internal-link>REACH (Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals)
Advantages at a glance
- Even small pieces can be detected by a metal detector or X-ray machine
- Depending on the requirements, <link security-seals product show pharmaflex-detetc.html _top external-link>Pharmaflex Detect is available with different and customer-specific percentage of metal
- Fullfills the requirements of the HACCP-procedure (HACCP: Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point)
- Produced loose and with a food compliant plastic compound
- In blue colour for simple visual detection in line with the industry standard
- Customer name/logo for clear identification
Recommended test quantity
The type of detector, the technical possibilities of the machine, their calibration status, the speed of the conveyor belts and the consistency of the goods influence the detectability. We therefore recommend obtaining a small quantity from us to use in running tests.<link internal-link> Our team will be happy to help you further.
