Helpful Resources

Photo of small piece of wood on raw pork chunks

Your Hyperspectral Imaging Primer: What it is and Why it Excels at Foreign Material Detection

Rising safety costs. Disruptive labor shortages. Eroding margins due to material costs and processing errors. Increasing consumer demands for health and safety transparency.  The meat processing industry is being squeezed from many different directions. While there isn’t one simple fix to address these challenges and future-proof your business, inspection technology has an important role to …

Your Hyperspectral Imaging Primer: What it is and Why it Excels at Foreign Material Detection Read More »

Photo of Casey Gallimore, Shawn Stevens, Chris Sawyer and Scott Ruttgaizer

Four Experts Weigh in on Foreign Material Detection 

Foreign material contamination creates a multitude of issues for food processors and manufacturers. While the industry invests a huge amount of effort and resources into preventing and detecting foreign material in the food supply, as Shawn Stevens, founder of Food Industry Counsel, LLC, so aptly says, “Sometimes bad things do happen.”   Stevens was one of …

Four Experts Weigh in on Foreign Material Detection  Read More »

Wide photo of PPO's Smart Imaging System Z-Configuration

Before you Invest: How to Calculate the ROI for Automated Inspection Systems

Every meat processing plant leader wants to have the right mix of automated inspection systems calibrated to capture foreign materials without over-inspecting and negatively impacting yields. Budgeting realities require making data-driven decisions before investing in any technology. With so many inspection technologies to choose from, it can be challenging to know where to invest for …

Before you Invest: How to Calculate the ROI for Automated Inspection Systems Read More »

Food Safety Hazard Series: Physical Hazards Series Cover Photo

Webinar – Food Safety Hazards Series: Physical Hazards

On December 16th 2021, PPO and Food Safety Tech presented a webinar titled, “Food Safety Hazards Series: Physical Hazards.” This webinar was presented by Scott Ruttgaizer, Product Manager at PPO; Maria Fontanazza, Editor-in-Chief at Food Safety Tech; Shawn Stevens, Food Safety Consultant and Lawyer at Food Safety Counsel, LLC; Casey Gallimore, Director, Regulatory & Scientific …

Webinar – Food Safety Hazards Series: Physical Hazards Read More »

Title Page of Foreign Material Manual

The North American Meat Institute’s Foreign Materials Manual

The North American Meat Institute (NAMI) recently published their 2021 Foreign Material Manual. PPO is proud to have partnered with NAMI to develop this manual, in particular the Vision Systems section!  The manual is a comprehensive compilation of information for establishments to consider when designing a Foreign Material Control & Prevention Program (FMCPP), covering the …

The North American Meat Institute’s Foreign Materials Manual Read More »

Halogen Lamps shining on Chicken Wings on a belt

Developing Artificial Intelligence Models For a Meat Processing Plant

Artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning are changing the way we produce and process food. PPO uses both AI and machine learning in the Smart Imaging System, to improve the safety and quality of what we eat. AI and machine learning allow the system to identify and remove even hard-to-spot foreign material in-stream. They also …

Developing Artificial Intelligence Models For a Meat Processing Plant Read More »

The More the Merrier: A Multi-Hurdle Approach to Detection Cover Photo

Webinar – The More The Merrier: A Multi-Hurdle Approach to Detection

On June 24th 2021, PPO and Food Safety Tech presented a webinar titled, “The More The Merrier: A Multi-Hurdle Approach to Detection.” This webinar was presented by Olga Pawluczyk, CEO of PPO; Maria Fontanazza, Editor-in-Chief at Food Safety Tech; and Jeremiah Johnson, Corporate Manager, Regulatory Compliance, Food Safety & Sanitation at Hormel Foods. Jeremiah Johnson …

Webinar – The More The Merrier: A Multi-Hurdle Approach to Detection Read More »

Photo of PPO's Spectrometers

3 Reasons Why Food Processors Should Know About Spectrometers

Spectrometers are the heart of PPO’s Smart Imaging System. A lot goes into building these precision instruments. Our recent video series “Lights, Cameras, Spectrometers” gives you an insider view on how PPO builds our spectrometers. But how do these sensitive tools work in a food processing plant? And why is it important for food processors …

3 Reasons Why Food Processors Should Know About Spectrometers Read More »

Spectrometer Camera

Xenics and PPO: A Case Study

Xenics Infrared Solutions recently featured P&P Optica in their white paper titled “Automated Assessment of Food Quality and Safety”. Xenic’s Cheetah cameras are an important part of PPO’s spectrometers. This white paper outlines PPO’s inspection solution for food processors, and why we chose to use Xenics technology in our Smart Imaging System. It also explains …

Xenics and PPO: A Case Study Read More »

Preventing Contamination webinar thumbnail copy photo cover

Webinar – Preventing Contamination: It’s All About Detection

On February 11th 2021, Olga Pawluczyk, CEO of PPO; and Casey Gallimore, Director of Regulatory and Scientific Affairs of the North American Meat Institute (NAMI) presented a webinar on detection methods for food processors.The webinar covered tools you can use to understand how different inspection systems will perform in your plant, and to make decisions …

Webinar – Preventing Contamination: It’s All About Detection Read More »