At FlexXray, we understand that food safety is your top priority — and it’s ours, too. We are happy to talk with you about your food contamination questions, but to save you time, here are some of the most frequently asked questions we receive.
Yes! FlexXray’s systems are designed specifically to inspect products for foreign materials and product defects. We use a low-power X-ray source that is completely safe for your product. Your product is never at risk for irradiation or sterilization.
FlexXray’s inspection services complement and validate your in-house methods to ensure you’re meeting all industry standards. Our foreign material control, HACCP and FSMA audit services are designed to find issues that you didn’t know existed and correct them before they cost you time and money. And, because our food safety audit services follow HACCP guidelines and FSMA rules, you’ll have complete confidence that you are operating under full compliance.
Yes! FlexXray is able to ensure traceability throughout the inspection process. When a contaminant is documented, FlexXray maintains traceability back to the specific pallet, batch and lot numbers. Additionally, FlexXray offers contaminant retrieval to identify exactly what foreign material is in your product. With this information, you will be able to take corrective actions to help minimize recurrence, whether it is from your own production line or from one of your suppliers’ facilities.
Yes! We inspect everything from a 1-ounce pack of chocolate to a 60-pound chunk of beef. FlexXray has the capacity to inspect and find foreign material in your product no matter how big or small it may be.
Yes! Our facilities follow the same exacting process as you do in your facility, which includes managing frozen foods to ensure your product maintains temperature. We also track and record the opening and closing delta temperatures, so you can be sure your product is maintaining industry standards throughout the entire inspection process.
Yes. We understand the importance of trust and confidentiality and consider it an essential component of business operations. In addition to having our own strict standards of confidentiality, we will gladly sign and comply with your company’s confidentiality requirements.
Yes! FlexXray voluntarily maintains USDA- and FDA-compliance, so you can rest assured that your product is always handled under the strictest of guidelines. Our system also meets all USDA and FDA regulations for food packaging and will pass all packaging inspection requirements.
Yes! If you suspect a contamination issue, you can ship a sample to FlexXray for an inspection at no charge and get the results immediately. Whether the material is detectable or not, FlexXray reports our findings, discusses capabilities, includes photo documentation (in most cases) and provides a quote for a full inspection and recovery of the project.
We believe it’s nearly always best to opt for third-party X-ray inspection services rather than equipment rental. If you’re interested in bringing inspection equipment to your facility, reach out to our team today and one of our sales representatives will point you in the right direction.
FlexXray’s in-depth reporting covers everything down to the smallest of details, including machine time and opening and closing delta temperatures. When a contaminant is documented, FlexXray maintains traceability back to the specific pallet, batch and lot numbers. Additionally, we send customers the foreign material we find in their product. All findings are thoroughly documented and sent to our customers, giving them the opportunity to take corrective actions.
FlexXray follows the same GMP practices that are used in our customers’ operations, and all facilities receive a GFSI audit. All facilities are also USDA and FDA compliant, so clients can rest assured that their product is always handled under the strictest of guidelines, so that they maintain chain of control.
Step 1: X-Ray Inspection
Our skilled technicians will perform inspection services on your product hold, identifying foreign material contaminants.
Step 2: Additional Inspection
Our skilled line technicians will perform a secondary inspection to pinpoint and manually dissect contaminated product.
Step 3: Catalog Results
We will catalog the results so plant managers have evidence of the findings. The report includes important traceability details such as:
- Pallet
- Batch/Lot Code
- Bag/Container Type
- Contaminant Type and Size
Step 4: Contaminant Sample
For further details, we’ll also include a sample of the contaminant with the report for even better traceability.
Step 5: Detailed Report
We send an electronic scan of the report right away so you can begin taking action; the physical documentation will be in your hands within 24 hours.
All FlexXray locations are able to operate multiple lines 24/7, allowing us the ability to meet your needs and ensure product returns to commerce as quickly as possible.
We begin inspecting your product as soon as we get it. All FlexXray findings are thoroughly documented and sent to you within hours of completing the inspection. If contaminant removal is selected, the report logs are scanned and sent within 24 hours, and the actual physical contaminant log is sent overnight. If you choose the contaminant retrieval service, we’ll provide a separate report for that. Our goal is to deliver a comprehensive report 48 hours from inspection.
Call FlexXray now! Our team of experts is ready to help. 817.453.3539.
No! Thanks to FlexXray’s advanced capabilities, we are able to detect product that is contaminated and segregate it from non-contaminated product, so it can continue downstream.
After we remove the contaminant or dispose of it (depending on your preferences) we will either return the product to you or get it back in your supply chain.
Your machines and processes are calibrated to detect issues at certain sizes. This means that smaller sizes may have been getting through your detection systems before the alarm goes off. FlexXray is designed to help you to find foreign material in the bracketed product at smaller sizes and slower speeds that your systems are not designed to do.
Additionally, FlexXray has the labor and expertise to rework product that your employees are not trained to do. By using FlexXray, your employees stay on task and continue to produce more product.
We have more than 20 years of successful inspection and work with some of the largest manufacturers in the United States.
If it can get into your food supply, we can find it! Here is a list of the main types of foreign materials we find.
Metal — Ferrous, Non-Ferrous, Stainless Steel
- Tools
- Wire
- Slicers
- Grinders
- Bolts/Nuts
- Needles
- Buckshot
- Bearings
- Shavings
- Knives/Blades
- Silos
- Sifters/Screens
- Mixers
- Conveyors
- Machinery
- Aluminum, Copper, Brass, Lead, Zinc, etc.
Plastics
- Scrapers
- Spatulas
- Belting and Guide Rail Material
- Conveyor
- Paddles
- Tools
- Safety Glasses
- Pens
- Delrin
- Clamps
- Containers/Lids/Scoops
- Packaging Material
- Screens
Glass
- Glass from Containers
- Broken at Filler
- Light Bulbs
Product Clumps
- Cereal – Hardened Sugar
- Breading
Container Defects
- Missing Components
Gasket/Rubber
- Rubber Seals
- Machine Seals
- Pump Seals
Ceramic
- Tile from Mills
- Alumina Lining
Bone, Stones, Can Ends and more!
FlexXray services ALL food industries and is able to inspect your product anywhere in the manufacturing process, from supply to finish.
Every customer is different, and there are many factors that go into determining how FlexXray can assist you in your inspection that will affect the cost. For more information, contact us today so one of our representatives can walk you through the process to give you an accurate quote for your needs.
Call us today for more information. 817.453.3539.
With the operational capacity to turn around a truckload in as few as four hours, FlexXray can efficiently service 500,000+ pounds of product per day.
We have facilities in Texas, Illinois, South Carolina and New Jersey.
- We’re fast. Need help now? We can help. We can inspect your product before our competitors can get you a quote.
- We’re cost-effective. Our fees amount to a small portion of the production costs, including re-work and disposal costs that many companies face when there are issues with their product.
- We have the capacity. With 30 inspection lines operating nationwide, we can inspect an entire truckload in three to four hours, while the driver waits.
- We can handle frozen and refrigerated foods, thanks to our temperature-controlled storage facilities.
- We have better technology. FlexXray can detect metal, glass particles, stones, bone, rubber, plastic, gasket material, product clumps, container defects, wood and missing components down to 0.8 mm or smaller.
- We’re experienced. We have a 20-year history of X-ray food inspection and serve many customers in North America
- We have multiple inspection options. You can ship your product to our facilities in Texas, Illinois, South Carolina, and New Jersey for inspection.
- We trace everything. FlexXray maintains traceability back to the specific pallet, batch and lot numbers.
- We’re near you. FlexXray is located throughout the continental United States to conveniently serve clients across North America.
- We’re registered with the USDA and FDA. We’re also audited by AIB International.
- We remove contaminants. We can also send you the actual contaminant as part of our in-depth reporting.
