How Safe Is X-Ray Inspection Of Food?

By Mettler-Toledo

Some food manufacturers have reservations about the adoption of x-ray inspection as a method of product inspection. They are concerned that their staff will object to bringing x-rays into the workplace and that consumers could switch to another brand that's not been subject to x-ray inspection.

People are right to be wary of radiation. But that does not mean they should be worried about the use of x-rays in food inspection. The levels of radiation used for x-ray inspection in the food industry are extremely low, and the use of x-ray inspection equipment is both highly regulated and increasingly common.

Food manufacturers use x-ray inspection technology to ensure product safety and quality. X-ray inspection gives them exceptional levels of metal detection for ferrous, non-ferrous, and stainless-steel. The technology is also extremely good at detecting other foreign bodies such as glass, stone, bone, high density plastics, and rubber compounds. X-ray systems can also perform simultaneously a wide range of in-line quality checks such as measuring mass, counting components, identifying missing or broken products, monitoring fill levels, inspecting seal integrity, and checking for damaged product and packaging.