HACCP Compliance for the Food Industry

Ensuring product safety is not only a legal requirement but also a critical factor in maintaining consumer trust and brand integrity.

The cost of metal contamination in food for a processor can range from $10,000 to over $10 million USD, depending on the scale of the contamination and the scope of the recall. Those costs appear as both direct – loss of product, time, and sales – and indirect – recall logistics, regulatory fines, lawsuits or settlements, and reputational damages – costs that may take years to fully recover.

How Metal Contamination Occurs

Metal can enter the product stream in a variety of ways. Common entry points include

  • During receipt of raw materials especially if suppliers fail to adhere to adequate quality controls
  • Through routine maintenance or accidental interference tools or hardware, like screws and bolts, may fall into food products if not properly secured
  • Worn or broken equipment parts such as blades, screens, or conveyors, which can shed metal fragments during operation
  • Additionally, processing steps like mixing, cutting, or packaging can introduce metal if machines are not routinely inspected and maintained.

These risks make metal contamination a critical concern for food safety programs. Proactive protection and an effective food safety plan – as outlined in HACCP (Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points) - is essential for any processor.

HACCP Compliance Audit in Food Processing

What is HACCP?

HACCP is an internationally recognized, preventive system used to identify, evaluate, and control food safety hazards. It is structured around seven key principles:

  1. Hazard analysis
  2. Identification of Critical Control Points (CCPs)
  3. Establishment of critical limits
  4. Monitoring procedures
  5. Corrective actions
  6. Verification procedures
  7. Documentation and record-keeping

Applying HACCP to Metal Control

HACCP (Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points) applies to metal control by identifying and managing the risk of metal contamination as a physical hazard within the food production process. Since metal fragments can enter food through raw materials, equipment wear, or during processing and packaging, controlling this risk is essential to prevent consumer injury, product recalls, and regulatory violations.

Here's how HACCP addresses metal control:

  1. Hazard Analysis (Principle 1): The processor identifies metal contamination as a significant physical hazard. This includes evaluating all points in the production process where metal could enter—such as receiving of raw materials, throughout the production line if metal processing equipment is used, during packaging, and at any point where human interference could result in accidental metal contamination..
  2. Critical Control Points (Principle 2): Magnetic separators and electronic inspection equipment – including metal detectors and X-ray inspectors - are designated as critical control points (CCPs) because they are the stages where effective control can be applied to eliminate or reduce metal contamination.
  3. Critical Limits (Principle 3): Acceptable detection thresholds are set (e.g., the smallest size of ferrous, non-ferrous, or stainless steel particles that must be detected and removed). These limits must be measurable and achievable using validated detection or separation technologies.
  4. Monitoring Procedures (Principle 4): Food processors must continuously monitor the effectiveness of metal control equipment including documenting the amount of metal collect or product impacted, spikes in metal contamination, cleanings performed, etc.
  5. Corrective Actions (Principle 5): If metal is detected or a system fails, predefined actions must be taken—such as product re-inspection, equipment checks, and root cause analysis to prevent recurrence. MPI regional managers are HACCP certified and are focused entirely on metal control. While root cause analysis can be a challenge for processors without metal control expertise, MPI regional managers are backed by product experts with decades of industry experience and can help trace metal contamination back to its source and recommend corrective action.
  6. Verification (Principle 6): Inspection and testing of equipment using a manufacturer or industry approved method on a regular basis ensures the equipment performs as intended. MPI recommends pull testing of magnetic separation equipment for the most accurate evaluation of performance over time. In addition, regular audits of the equipment and overall strategy by a third party auditor should be completed.
  7. Documentation (Principle 7): All procedures, detections, maintenance records, and corrective actions must be logged to demonstrate compliance with food safety regulations and for audit readiness. MPI’s Intell-I-Mag® platform eases the metal control burden for processors by continuously monitoring the amount of metal captured, alerting operators when a cleaning is needed, and providing documentation of metal events for audits.

Connect with a metal control expert at Magnetic Products, Inc to talk about your metal control strategy or schedule an audit of your facility.