Dear All,
A few {FDA quoted) comments -
Ingesting metal fragments can cause injury to the consumer. These injuries may include dental damage, laceration of the mouth or throat, or laceration or perforation of the intestine.
FDA’s Health Hazard Evaluation Board has supported regulatory action against products with metal fragments 0.3 inch (7 mm) to 1 inch (25 mm) in length. The Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (the FFD&C Act) prohibits interstate commerce of adulterated foods (21 U.S.C. 331). Under the FFD&C Act, a food containing foreign objects is considered adulterated (21 U.S.C 342). See FDA’s “Compliance Policy Guide,” Sec. 555.425. In addition, foreign objects that are less than 0.3 inch (7 mm) may cause trauma or serious injury to persons in special risk groups, such as infants, surgery patients, and the elderly.
Metal-to-metal contact (e.g., mechanical cutting or blending operations and can openers) and equipment with metal parts that can break loose (e.g., moving wire mesh belts, injection needles, screens and portion control equipment, and metal ties) are likely sources of metal that may enter food during processing.
Control of metal inclusion
Once introduced into a product, metal fragments may be removed from the product by passing it through a screen, magnet, or lotation tank. The effectiveness of these measures depends on the nature of the product. These measures are more likely to be effective in liquids, powders, and similar products in which the metal fragment will not become imbedded.
Alternatively, metal fragments may be detected in the finished food by an electronic metal detector. The use of electronic metal detectors is complex, especially with regard to stainless steel, which is dificult to detect. The orientation of the metal object in the food affects the ability of the equipment to detect it. For example, if a detector is not properly calibrated and is set to detect a sphere 0.08 inch (2 mm) in diameter, it may fail to detect a stainless steel wire that is smaller in diameter but up to 0.9 inch (24 mm) long, depending on the orientation of the wire as it travels through the detector. Processing factors, such as ambient humidity or product acidity, may affect the conductivity of the product and create an interference signal that may mask metal inclusion unless the detector is properly calibrated. You should consider these factors when calibrating and using this equipment.
Finally, the hazard of metal inclusion may also be controlled by periodically examining the processing equipment for damage that can contribute metal fragments to the product. This measure will not necessarily prevent metal fragments from being incorporated into the product, but it will enable you to separate products that may have been exposed to metal fragments. Visually inspecting equipment for damaged or missing parts may only be feasible with relatively simple equipment, such as band saws, small orbital blenders, and wire mesh belts. More complex equipment that contains many parts, some of which may not be readily visible, may not be suitable for visual inspection and may require controls such as metal detection or separation.
DETERMINE WHETHER THE POTENTIAL HAZARD IS SIGNIFICANT.
The following guidance will assist you in determining whether metal inclusion is a significant hazard at a processing step:
1. Is it reasonably likely that metal fragments will be introduced at this processing step (e.g., do they come in with the raw material or will the process introduce them)? For example, under ordinary circumstances, it would be reasonably likely to expect that metal fragments could enter the process from the following sources as a result of worn, damaged, or broken equipment parts:
• Mechanical crabmeat pickers;
• Wire-mesh belts used to convey products;
• Saw blades used to cut portions or steaks;
• Wire from mechanical mixer blades;
• Blades on mechanical chopping, filleting, or blending equipment;
• Rings, washers, nuts, or bolts from breading, batter, sauce cooling, liquid dispensing, and portioning equipment;
• Injection needles;
• Metal ties used to attach tags or close bags;
• Can slivers from opening cans.
Under ordinary circumstances, it would not be reasonably likely to expect that metal fragments could enter the food from the following sources:
• Utensils used for manual blending, cutting, shucking, or gutting;
• Metal processing tables or storage tanks.
http://www.fda.gov/d...e/UCM252440.pdf
(2011)
Rgds / Charles.C