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INSIDE: Coming Up Roses In Pursuit of Precision In from the Cold Pedal to the Metal
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AUGUST 2026 SENIOR PUBLISHER Stephen Dean (416) 510-5198 SDean@canadianpackaging.com
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COMING UP ROSES Automated bagging equipment a perfect fit for Montreal-based spice producer’s growing business By Pierrre Deschamps
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uilding and maintaining a profitable business over the long term is no small achievement. According to the Business Development Bank of Canada (BDC), while more than half (58.8 per cent) of new Canadian businesses survive beyond their fifth year, 41.2 per cent close down before reaching that milestone. Which makes the success of Rose Hill Foods, a well-known entity in the spice business for more than 40 years, all the more noteworthy. Success came early for Rose Hill Foods. When the company was founded in 1983, it operated out of a modest 1,500-square-foot facility
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Rose Hill foods general manager George Sarbanis (second from left) and some of his production staff strike a pose behind an array of the company’s bestselling products. August 2026 · AUTOMATE NOW PLUS
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with what general manager George Sarbanis jokingly describes as “one-and-a-half employees.” But even in those early years, annual revenues increased consistently—a trend that has continued on its swift upwardly trajectory ever since. Still enjoying steady annual sales growth of approximately 10 per cent, Rose Hill Foods specializes in the development, manufacturing, and supply of soup bases, sauce mixes, seasonings, liquid marinades, and premium sauces for the food processing industry, while also marketing a broad range of such products for the retail sector. Sarbanis credits much of the company’s success to the commitment and expertise of its approximately 120 employees working at facility in the Saint-Laurent borough of Montreal. The operation consists of two buildings, totalling 80,000 square feet, connected by an enclosed corridor that facilitates movement
between the two. “We have an exceptional team of dedicated people who are passionate about doing things right in every area of the business—from manufacturing and customer service to sales and administration,” says Sarbanis. “It is because of these people that Rose Hill Foods has achieved the success it enjoys today.” Today, Rose Hill Foods markets approximately 700 different products to two primary markets: the foodservice industry and the retail sector. The company’s retail products are sold through major grocery chains including Sobeys, Metro and Costco, primarily in Quebec and Ontario. For food industry professionals, the company offers Major soup bases and liquid marinades, along with Effluves & Quintessence 100-percent natural liquid sauces and reductions, a complete line of dehydrated vegetables, herbs, spices and seasonings, and
“We have an exeptional team of dedicated people who are passionate about doing things right in every area of the business.” CANADIANPACKAGING.COM
Rose Hill Foods products are sold at most major grocery chains and Club Store outlets across Quebec and Ontario. ready-to-use liquid marinades. For retail consumers, Rose Hill Foods markets its Blenderz line of seasonings, featuring popular flavors such as Cajun, Jerk and Steak Spice. As the company’s founder also proudly points out, “We are the largest manufacturer of poutine gravy in Canada.” Constantly searching for new flavors, innovative products, and unique formulations, Rose
Hill Foods invests heavily in research and development. “We have a research laboratory staffed by 12 people,” says Sarbanis, underscoring the company’s commitment to innovation. To package its products—80 per cent dry goods and 20 per cent liquids—the company operates seven production lines and 10 packaging lines. August 2026 · AUTOMATE NOW PLUS
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A finished bag of seasonings coming out of the ARTY 130V bagging machine supplied to Rose Hill Foods by Artypac Automation.
A side view of the fully-automatic vertical bagging machine installed at the Rose Hill Foods production facility by Artypac Automation.
Rose Hill Foods uses a Tornado 600 dosing unit from Artypac Automation for the packaging of its Blenderz seasoning range inside various-sized rigid shaker containers.
“Our packaging lines include numerous machines supplied by Artypac Automation (www.artypac.com), a company we’ve worked with for more than 25 years,” says Sarbanis. “We’ve built an outstanding business relationship based on mutual respect and trust.” As Artypac Automation’s application specialist Richard Gareau concurs, “We’ve supported Rose Hill Foods throughout its growth by supplying a wide range of equipment, including bagging ma-
chines, weighers, metal detectors and filling systems, helping the company keep pace with steadily increasing production volumes.” As part of his role, Gareau recently visited Rose Hill Foods to conduct a performance assessment of the Blenderz spice filling line. “My objective was to ensure the equipment we supplied was operating at its full potential,” he explains. During the assessment, Gareau identified opportunities to optimize line performance simply by fine-tuning container indexing and adjusting container
height within the filling zone. These changes resulted in measurable increases in production speed—without modifying the line configuration or requiring any capital investment. Thanks to its long-standing partnership with Artypac, “We are continually able to provide high-quality products and solutions to all of our customers, whether they serve the food processing industry or the retail market,” Sarbanis concludes. www.artypac.com
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IN PURSUIT OF PRECISION METTLER TOLEDO opens up on the critical role of precision instruments in laboratory robotics and automation projects
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What are the current major trends in precision instruments, and how is METTLER TOLEDO (www.mt.com) addressing them? The most significant shift is the move toward automated workflows. Laboratories that once relied on skilled operators performing repetitive manual measurements are under pressure to do more with less, and precision instruments are responding to that. Autosamplers, sample changers, and increasingly robotic integration are allowing labs to run higher sample volumes without a proportional increase in headcount. Near-line testing is gaining ground. Rather than batching samples and sending them to a central lab, manufacturers want results closer to the production process, faster. The instruments
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METTLER TOLEDO’s expansive booth exhibit at the recent interpack 2026 global packaging exhibition in Germany underscores the depth and breadth of the company’s highly diverse product portfolio. enabling that have had to become more robust, guidance, automated system checks, and soft- mated laboratory cells, where a robotic arm more intuitive, and easier to deploy by operators ware that walks an operator through a process handles sample preparation, instrument loading, who are not analytical chemists. rather than assuming expertise are no longer and result logging without human involvement, Ease-of-use is the third trend. As automation ‘nice-to-haves.’ They are what determines are moving from concept to reality. The question reduces the need for constant operator involve- whether an instrument gets used correctly in a is no longer whether that future is coming. It is ment, the moments that do require a human real production environment. how quickly individual organizations will be element have to be straightforward. Method The longer horizon is robotics. Full- auto- ready for it. August 2026 · AUTOMATE NOW PLUS
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What are the most significant challenges in precision instruments? Keeping pace with production is the most immediate pressure. In food and beverage manufacturing, more SKUs (stock-keeping units), more frequent changeovers, and tighter specifications mean the analytical workload is growing faster than most labs were designed to handle. A titrator or density meter that performs well today will start to show its limits when results are needed in minutes, not hours, and throughput cannot slow down to wait. Operator dependency compounds the problem. Many critical near-line measurements like pH, density, refractometry and moisture are still performed manually by technicians with varying levels of training. The quality of results varies accordingly. Guided workflows and calibration routines help but closing that gap without fully eliminating human involvement entirely remains one of the harder design challenges in industry.
analyst need significant rethinking before they can function in an automated laboratory cell, where standardized interfaces, consistent sample positioning, and human-out-of-the-loop systems become the norm.
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Intuitive HMI (human-machine interface) panels with consistent interface design across the full portfolio reduces training burden and the risk of procedural errors.
"Instruments designed for a trained analyst need significant rethinking before they can function in an automated laboratory cell.” CANADIANPACKAGING.COM
Integration is the third area where progress has been slower than it should be. A balance or titrator disconnected from the production data environment generates results that are only as useful as the person recording them. Connecting near-line instruments to LIMS or ERP systems, reliably and with full data integrity, is still harder than customers expect. Looking further ahead, robotics changes the brief entirely. Instruments designed for a trained
What is the most important issue in precision instruments? Standardization is by far the most important. Not in the regulatory sense, but in the practical, day-to-day sense of whether an operator in a food production facility can move between a balance, a titrator, a density meter and a refractometer without relearning the system each time. That might sound like a software detail, but it’s not. It is not. In high-throughput environments, inconsistency in how instruments behave is a source of error, retraining cost and lost time. When every instrument across workflows operates from a familiar interface and a consistent logic, the cognitive load on the operator drops, and so does the risk of a procedural mistake. Instrument design philosophy matters as much as measurement performance. An aligned user experience across an analytical portfolio is not a given. It requires deliberate investment and long-term commitment to the operator, not just the instrument specification. The next frontier is collaborative robotics. As robotic systems take on more of the complex sample preparation and analysis workflows that August 2026 · AUTOMATE NOW PLUS
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currently require skilled human involvement, the instruments at the center of those workflows need to be ready for it.
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How important is quality in precision instruments? Quality is foundational. The instrument is the first point at which a production error can be caught or missed. In food manufacturing, the consequences of poor measurement are concrete. A titrator determining acid value or moisture content, a density meter, a refractometer checking concentration, or a balance verifying a formulation: each of these sits at a point where an error can mean a product
The Starweigh checkweigher delivers laboratory precision for small, narrow and unstable pharmaceutical products. CANADIANPACKAGING.COM
that fails the specification, or worse, one that passes when it should not. The instrument’s accuracy, its limit of detection, and its repeatability under real working conditions not technical footnotes: they are what determines whether the result can be trusted. The ISO/IEC 17025 standard sets out requirements for competence, impartiality, and consistent operation of laboratories—ensuring the accuracy and reliability of testing and calibration results. For food manufacturers running accredited laboratory operations, that means instruments must be properly calibrated, maintained and documented. The audit trail is not optional. Because speed matters as much as accuracy, thge time to result directly affects the time to release. In high-throughput environments, that pressure is constant, and it is where automation earns its place. Autosamplers and sample changers allow a titrator or a density meter to run continuously without an operator loading each sample by hand. The instrument keeps pace with the line, and the data keeps flowing. Ease-of-use is the third dimension, where intuitive interfaces, guided workflows, and consistent design logic across a portfolio allow quality measurement to scale beyond the analytical chemistry team.
A METTLER TOLEDO tour bus hits the road to provide the company’s existing and prospective customers with on-site demonstrations of its broad range of equipment and support services.
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What criteria should be kept in mind when choosing precision instruments? Start with what the instrument actually needs to do. A titrator determining moisture or acid value in a food product, a density meter or refractometer checking concentration, a balance verifying a formulation—each must be fit for the specific analytical task. Accuracy, repeatability, and the right detection limits are not negotiable, and they should be verified against real application requirements, not just headline specifications. The ease-of-use matters as much as specification in a production environment. An instrument that requires a trained analytical chemist to
operate reliably will become a bottleneck the moment that person is unavailable. Consistent interface design across a portfolio reduces training burden and the risk of procedural error, particularly in facilities running multiple analytical techniques across a shift. Connectivity deserves more attention than it typically gets at the point of purchase. An instrument that cannot integrate with a LIMS or production data system generates results that must be transcribed manually, which introduces error and slows the path from measurement to decision. Software compatibility should be evaluated alongside hardware specification. Then there is the service question. FacAugust 2026 · AUTOMATE NOW PLUS
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tory-trained technicians, preventive maintenance programs, and remote and onsite support are what keep instruments running accurately across their full working life. In a near-line environment directly coupled to a production workflow, downtime has a direct cost. The METTLER TOLEDO GWP (Good Weighing Practice) framework addresses this from the outset by matching the right instrument to the process and carrying that through calibration, verification and ongoing performance management across the full equipment life-cycle.
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How can precision instruments support a company’s growth? Growth puts pressure on the lab before almost anywhere else. With more products, more SKUs and more regulatory checkpoints, the analytical workload scales with the business, and if the lab cannot keep pace, it becomes a constraint. Autosamplers, sample changers, and automated workflows allow instruments to run continuously—handling higher volumes without a proportional increase in staffing. Time to result has an equally direct impact. Faster analytical turnaround means faster product release, shorter time-to-market for new formulations, and more agile response when a specification changes. Every hour saved between measurement and release decision has a value that compounds across a production year. Where connected instruments really change
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the picture is in the quality of underlying data. When balances, titrators, density meters and refractometers feed results directly into a production data environment—rather than relying on manual transcription, the dataset becomes reliable enough to drive real decisions. Proper trend analysis, process optimization and supplier qualification are not possible when the underlying data is incomplete or inconsistent. The furthest point on that trajectory is approval by exception. Rather than requiring an analyst to review every result before a batch is released, approvals are automatic when results fall within defined parameters, and flags only the outliers for human review. It is a different operating model that works only when the instruments generating the data are accurate, consistent, and integrated deeply enough into the quality system to be trusted. For growing organizations, it is also the model that makes genuine scale possible without a linear increase in resources.
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What are the main categories of customers you serve? We serve any organization where measurement accuracy has a direct consequence for product quality. In practice that covers a wide range of industries, but a few dominate. Food and beverage manufacturers are among our most significant customer groups due to the substntial analytical demands. Moisture, acidity, density, concentration, and formulation con-
sistency all require precise near-line or laboratory measurement, and the production volumes involved mean that speed and automation are not optional. Industrial weighing solutions support the same customers further upstream—handling raw material receiving, batching, and in-process control with the robustness that continuous production environments demand. Process Analytics inline sensors add real-time process measurement without disrupting the line. At the end of the lines, checkweighers confirm fill weights with high-speed precision, X-Ray and metal detection systems screen for contaminants, and dimensioning solutions handle logistics verification before product leaves the facility. Pharmaceutical and chemical manufacturers operate under tighter regulatory frameworks, which place extra demands on traceability, calibration documentation, and data integrity. These customers typically need both the laboratory instruments and the audit trail that demonstrates they have been used correctly. Emerging sectors, particularly battery technology and advanced materials, are applying similar levels of analytical rigor to manufacturing processes that are scaling rapidly. While the measurement challenges are different, the underlying requirement—reliable data at the point where it matters—is the same. What connects these customer groups is the value of a single partner across the full measure-
ment chain. Customers increasingly want a supplier who understands the whole picture— not just one instrument in it.
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What is the main geographical customer base of METTLER TOLEDO? METTLER TOLEDO operates globally, with a genuinely balanced geographic spread that few precision instrument companies can match. In 2025, our sales were derived 42 per cent from the the Americas; 29 per cent from Europe; and 29 per cent from Asia and the rest of the world. This distribution breakdown reflects both the breadth of industries served and the depth of the global sales and service organization supporting them. No single region dominates, which is itself a strength. It means customers in any major manufacturing market have access to the same instrument portfolio, the same calibration standards, and the same service infrastructure. For multinational food, pharma or industrial manufacturers running operations across multiple geographies, that consistency has real practical value.
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What are your flagship products?
The METTLER TOLEDO portfolio spans the full measurement chain, from the quality control laboratory through to the end of the packaging line. In the laboratory, the core instruments cover the analytical techniques most critical to product August 2026 · AUTOMATE NOW PLUS
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quality, namely alances, titrators, pH meters, density meters, refractometers, and moisture analyzers. Our laboratory software platform, LabX, ties these togethe for managing data, automating workflows, and supporting full traceability and regulatory compliance. On the production floor, industrial weighing solutions handle the demanding environments of receiving, formulation, and in-process control, where accuracy and durability under continuous operation are nonnegotiable. Inline sensors extend that capability further, delivering real-time measurement directly within the process stream without interrupting production flow. At the end of the line, our product inspection systems provide the final assurance. Metal detectors, X-Ray inspection systems, checkweighers, and camera-based vision solutions work in combination to detect contamination, verify fill weights, and confirm label and packaging integrity before the product leaves the facility.
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How important is innovation for a company like METTLER TOLEDO? In precision instruments, the product you sell today is competing against what you will launch in three years. As customers move on, applications evolve and regulatory expectations tighten, a company that stops investing in new capability will find its installed base aging faster than it can replace it. In food-and-beverage specifically, recent
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launches illustrate our commitment to innovation. Our NineFocus benchtop meter delivers precise multiparameter measurement of pH, conductivity, ion concentration and dissolved oxygen. Paired with the InMotion autosampler, it can calibrate, verify, and measure over 300 samples automatically and unattended. That is a meaningful shift in what near-line quality control can look like in a busy production environment. On the software side, the evolution of LabX towards a Cloud-based architecture is a significant development, whereby LabX 21 builds the established platform to simplify data acquisition, improve ease of use, and enable seamless integration with customer systems—improving workflows at the point where instrument data meets the broader production and quality infrastructure. Our collaboration with ABB Robotics (www.abb.com) points to where the longer horizon leads. Combining METTLER TOLEDO analytical instruments with ABB Robotics opens the door to fully automated laboratory workflows, where sample preparation, instrument loading, measurement, and data capture happen without manual intervention. That is not a distant concept. It is a solution both organizations are actively delivering today. Innovation at METTLER TOLEDO is not about adding features. It is about making measurement simpler, faster, more accessible and more reliable at every point in the value chain.
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Does AI play a role in precision instruments? If so, how important is it? The most important role of AI in precision instruments is not inside the instrument—it is downstream of it. AI-driven systems, whether a manufacturing execution system, a LIMS, a data foundry, or an enterprise AI orchestration layer, are only as good as the data they consume. If the measurements feeding those systems are inaccurate, poorly documented, or arriving without the contextual metadata needed to interpret them, the AI layer cannot compensate, since the ‘garbage in, garbage out’ principle remains as true in an AI-driven quality system as it ever was in a spreadsheet. That puts the precision instrument at the foundation of the AI conversation— not the periphery. METTLER TOLEDO already has AI-enabled products on the market, including applications in thermal analysis and retail. But the broader opportunity is in ensuring that the entire instrument portfolio is ready to serve as a reliable data source for whatever AI infrastructure customers are building. That means seamless connectivity, full data integrity, and the metadata context that makes a measurement meaningful beyond the moment it was taken. While AI will reshape how manufacturing decisions are made, precision instruments are what make those decisions trustworthy.
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What makes a company the size of METTLER TOLEDO so strong?
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What keeps METTLER TOLEDO strong is the combination of breadth and depth: a portfolio that spans the full measurement chain, and the application expertise to make that portfolio genuinely useful to customers rather than simply comprehensive on paper. METTLER TOLEDO can support measurement decisions at every critical point in a manufacturing process, from the first laboratory balance to the last inspection check before a product leaves the facility. We also provide global service and calibration infrastructure that keeps those instruments performing accurately across their entire working life. The depth comes from proximity to customers. With one of the largest installed bases of precision instruments in the world, and a sales and service organization spanning approximately 40 countries, the relationships are long and the understanding of customer processes is genuine. But what makes the next decade interesting is where that foundation is pointing. For example, LabX 21 will bring Cloud-based data infrastructure to laboratory workflows, making instrument data more accessible, more integrated, and more useful to the AI-driven systems customers are building around it. For its part, our partnership with ABB Robotics is opening the door to fully automated laboratory cells where measurement happens without manual intervention. www.mt.com www.abb.com August 2026 · AUTOMATE NOW PLUS
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IN FROM THE COLD Festo engineers a hardened linear axis for low-temperature logistics
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he primary point of failure in cold-chain automation is mechanical: standard handling and conveying systems seize and crack in sub-zero environments. To keep grocery supply chains moving, logistics engineers rely on costly, inefficient compormises—either wrapping electric axes and motors in insulated heating jackets or using high-torque drive systems to force components through frozen, stiffened grease. Manufactured by Festo (www.festo.com), the ELGA-TB electric axis bypasses these mechanical workarounds entirely. Globally certified for deep-freeze environments, this linear actuator pairs a flexible chloroprene rubber belt with a low-viscosity lubricant to maintain high-speed handling dynamics inside sub-zero fulfillment zones, offering demanding operational thresholds: One of the ELGA-TB most outstanding features is the Unified Intralogistics Ecosystem.Traditionally, intralogistics systems rely on a strategic mix of dual technologies: electric motion for precision, long-stroke handling, and pneumatic power for rapid sorting, clamping, and vacuum-driven picking. Historically, combining these distinct mechanical platforms has multiplied engineering overhead, requiring disparate vendor
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sourcing, separate control architectures, and fragmented commissioning software that drive up assembly time, cost, and the required engineering skill sets. Festo resolves this operational divide by bridging its electric and pneumatic product lines under a single, seamless control architecture that allows machine builders and system integrators to pair high-speed electric gantries directly with pneumatic actuators, eliminating the programming friction of disparate software environments and split control logic. This unified architecture synchronizes directly at the device level through multi-protocol communication and adaptable motor-mounting interfaces to allow system integrators to standardize their control and mechanical architectures across an entire facility. Running parallel to this electric backbone is Festo’s decentralized pneumatic architecture, whichUtilizes the CPXAP remote I/O platform and multi-protocol network interfaces for seamless blending of this pneumatic infrastructure into the same control loop as the electric motion systems. This allows high-speed valves and vacuum-driven picking modules to be mapped, commissioned, and monitored under a single, unified network topology. Rather than managing disparate vendor pipelines, engineers can design, size, and commission this entire multi-technology footprint through the Festo Automation Suite software platform. www.festo.com CANADIANPACKAGING.COM
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PEDAL TO THE METAL
Metal detection technology pioneer reflects on 30 years of global food safety support
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n 1996, the food production floor was predominantly a high-touch environment. A typical packaging line often required between 10 to 15 operators to closely monitor equipment and make manual adjustments to inspection equipment settings. In this era, metal detection was largely reactive rather than proactive. Attention was only really directed to inspection machines if an alarm sounded or the production line stopped. Although there were whispers of an impending digital revolution, comprehensive food safety regulations had not yet been implemented. The Food Safety Modernization Act of 2011 was yet to establish the standardized safety protocols that are now commonplace in food processing environments worldwide. Today, the bustling factory floor has under-
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gone a tectonic shift in operational philosophy, evolving into what Steve Gidman, founder and president of Toronto-based Fortress Technology (www.fortresstechnology.com) describes as a “ghost town.” As Gidman relates, “Modern plants are defined by high-speed automation with machines processing 200 to 300 packs per minute and requiring minimal human intervention. “In this new landscape, the metal detector has transitioned from a stand-alone hardware requirement to a sophisticated, data-driven partner essential for brand protection—all pointing towards the rise of the intelligent and integrated food factory.” During the early development days of food metal detectors, the so-called ‘feature creep’ became an increasing nuisance. As manufacturers
sought to introduce new functionalities, machines sometimes became burdened with unnecessary features that complicated operation and maintenance. “Engineers frequently loaded machines with complex interfaces that looked impressive on a spec sheet but baffled operators on the floor,”
Fortress Technology founder and president Steve Gidman.
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recalls Gidman. Drawing on his extensive knowledge of signal processing and radio frequency, the industry pioneer instantly recognized the importance of user-centric simplicity and reliability. The company’s original tagline, “Simple Operation, Outstanding Reliability, Exceptional Performance,” is indicative of the company’s enduring commitment to excellence. Customers value these qualities just as much today as they did from the start. In challenging food processing environments, a metal detector interface must be intuitive enough for a distracted operator to manage during a high-pressure shift, explains Gidman. “One of the things we really concentrated on from the outset was to make a machine that you could walk up to without a manual, look at the buttons and know what to do,” he asserts. This same philosophy has been applied to the latest generation touchscreen unveiled at the recent interpack 2026 global packaging exhibition. The move toward total automation isn’t just about increasing throughput to 300 packs a minute. Digitalization, combined with heightened awareness of food safety and more stringent rules, has seen the technology progress significantly, particularly in relation to inspection and CANADIANPACKAGING.COM
metal detection sensitivity. Some of the latest advancements occurred around 2011, which is when the U.S. enacted its most sweeping food safety rules via the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA). With these legislative reforms, rather than just analyzing hazards, the focus shifted towards prevention. Supply chain disruptions, a pandemic, several financial crisis situations, labor shortages and incidents like the European horse meat scandal means that processors have navigated multiple challenges. Simultaneously there has been a huge focus on sustainability. Streamlining workflows, smaller footprint combination systems, introducing remote monitoring and networked exchange of data are all technologies developed that support modern day food manufacturers. “When we look back to 1996, food processing staff had the ‘extra bandwidth’ to calibrate the machine and perform tests manually,” Gidman notes. “Now, fewer employees are expected to manage more high-priority systems. “On a high-speed line, asking an employee to manually insert and retrieve test pieces is a liability risk and inefficient,” he states. The imperative to mitigate safety risks and minimize human errors was a driving
force behind Fortress Technology’s development of the Halo Automatic Testing System. This revolutionary concept represented a significant breakthrough for automated testing in advance of the widespread adoption of Industry 4.0, IOT and AI. Its introduction even predated the 2012 Hannover Fair in Germany , where these digitalization trends began to gain significant momentum! Retailers and restaurant chains are behind some of the most significant advances in global food safety.
The switch from being passive recipients of products to being ‘active architects’ of food safety has been initiated through collaborations with key stakeholders, including food safety organizations and audit groups, according to Gidman. Increasingly, retailers now demand granular proof of every test, setting change and rejection. By the time the new FDA Food Traceability Final Rule (FSMA 204) is implemented in 2028, Gidman expects most food processors will have switched from manual paper logs to digital record keeping.
One of the original Fortress Technology Meat Pump metal detectors installed by a processing plant in North America.
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“When you think about it, a piece of paper floating around food plants is a risky idea in this day and age,” he points out. In recent years, a significant strategic shift has occurred whereby manufacturers no longer tolerate contamination issues originating from their suppliers. Instead, they have adopted a proactive approach known as ‘looking upstream’, where they closely assess and monitor supplier processes and quality controls to prevent problems before they arise. Product tampering in potato harvests and the 2014 nationwide recalls was a pivotal moment. It led to changes in sourcing transparency in the farm to fork supply chain. The logic is mathematical. A larger chunk of metal is easily caught at the farm or ingredient stage. If that same contaminant reaches the high-speed production line, it could be ground into thousands of microscopic pieces by processing machinery. Potentially turning a single avoidable issue into a massive, multi-pack recall. As a result of these activities, upstream inspection after harvesting and before processing is now widely regarded as best practice. “By demanding that suppliers implement their own detection protocols, manufacturers can ensure the integrity of the entire food chain rather than just the CANADIANPACKAGING.COM
final packaged product,” Gidman asserts. Currently, the food processing industry stands at the threshold of the AI machine-driven era, according to Gidman. As technology advances, the focus will inevitably shift towards ‘smaller footprint’ inspection systems. “With floor space at a premium, the future is not more machines, just more intelligent ones,” believes Gidman Already, the company founder foresees the development of compact, fully integrated inspection systems that combine metal detection, checkweighing, X-Ray and vision inspection cameras, all working and communicating together in real-time. Many different future functionalities are also being considered. For example, combination inspection systems may comprise a camera sharing the position of randomly presented products on a conveyor with a metal detector, or checkweighers verifying product weight and communicating this to the X-Ray system. This seamless communication between different inspection modules contained in the same frame is ambitious and advanced. However, combined technology will ensure that every product in the future is thoroughly examined from multiple perspectives reducing the risk of undetected contamination even further.
“AI will be central to this future process,” Gidman states. “The ability to constantly refine and adapt processes allows manufacturers to achieve the highest possible standards of safety and accuracy, protecting both product integrity and brand reputation.” The most profound change observed by Gidman over the last 30 years isn’t in the hardware, but the cultural mindset adopted by the food manufacturing industry. “The end goal of brand protection remains the same. However, the metal detector has transitioned from being a mere ‘policeman’ stationed at the end of the
production line to becoming an integral partner in a comprehensive education and food safety ecosystem,” says Gidman. As production rates accelerate and the need for direct human interventions decline, Gidman suggests that rather than viewing digital as another obstacle, it is part of the food safety evolution. As Gidman concludes, “These innovative and connected systems are poised to play a crucial role in ensuring the continued safety and integrity of food processing operations, making them indispensable for safeguarding the industry’s future for years to come.” www.fortresstechnology.com
The next 30 years of food safety is likely to be defined by a shift toward digitalization and a focus on reducing product waste.
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SUPPORT CANADA’S FOOD SOVEREIGNTY IN NOVEMBER BE A PART OF THE FOOD & DRUG PACKAGING PLANTS AWARDS GALA. NOVEMBER 26TH, 202 PALAIS ROYALE • TORONTO
HEAR THE PREMIER
JOIN THE FIGHT ON NOVEMBER 26TH • Premier Ford will deliver the lead presentation. • Trevor Jones, Minister of Agriculture, Food and Agribusiness will lay out the province’s plans to support, invest in and build the food/drug packaging sector to greater heights and towards new markets. • 15 of Canada’s most innovative Food & Drug Packaging plants will receive awards for plant automation and efficiencies in 15 prime categories. • The event will be filmed. The video will deploy across the massive, qualified food/drug/consumer packaged goods/industrial/agri database of Annex Business Media.
NOMINATE A PLANT Be a sponsor. Nominate your or a customer’s production plant for an award. Book a table. Attend the event.
P L AT I N U M S P O N S O R S
Contact Stephen Dean 416-510-5198 | sdean@canadianpackaging.com