X (RAY) MARKS THE SPOT:New technologies improve X-ray inspection of meat products.

摘要

The tide has turned. With heavyweight grocery retailers now demanding that meat processors utilize X-ray for inspection of products, the switch to X-ray over metal detection for physical contamination has become more a question of "when" rather than "if."By now, most meat producers recognize the advantages that X-ray inspection offers over aging technology like metal detectors. The list is extensive, but leadswith the fact that X-ray equipment readily identifies stainless steel—the most common metal used in meat processing equipment. X-ray also spots nonmetallic objects such as bones, and even glass. X-rays can even "see" through metaJ-ized packaging, and work around other obstacles such as metal retaining clips used in Chub packaging without degrading the ability to find unwanted foreign objects.