Helpful Resources

A Head-to-Head Test of 3 Foreign Material Inspection Technologies 

Foreign Materials, Helpful Resources, PPO's Technology / By

The many benefits associated with removing foreign materials from your product stream are obvious – from controlling chargebacks to reducing downtime spent cleaning contaminated equipment to, ultimately, protecting your brand.  What’s often less obvious is which specific inspection technology will be most effective for finding the foreign materials that impact your operations. Foreign materials vary …

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Four Foreign Material Detection ROI Success Stories

Foreign Materials, Helpful Resources, PPO's Technology / By

Foreign Material Detection: High ROI from Quality and Efficiency Gains Contaminants like wood, plastic, and cardboard can slip through traditional detection methods and make their way into processed meats. This not only poses safety risks, but can seriously damage a company’s reputation. That’s why more and more meat processors are turning to hyperspectral imaging systems …

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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

Helpful Resources, PPO's Technology / By

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 …

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

Four Experts Weigh in on Foreign Material Detection 

Foreign Materials, Helpful Resources, PPO's Technology, Webinars / By

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 …

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

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

Helpful Resources, PPO's Technology, ROI Calculaor / By

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 …

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Food Safety Hazard Series: Physical Hazards Series Cover Photo

Webinar – Food Safety Hazards Series: Physical Hazards

Helpful Resources, PPO's Technology, Webinars / By

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 …

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Title Page of Foreign Material Manual

The North American Meat Institute’s Foreign Materials Manual

Food Industry, Helpful Resources / By

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 …

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Halogen Lamps shining on Chicken Wings on a belt

Developing Artificial Intelligence Models For a Meat Processing Plant

Helpful Resources, PPO's Technology / By

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 …

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

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

Food Industry, Helpful Resources, PPO's Technology, Webinars / By

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 …

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3 Reasons Why Food Processors Should Know About Spectrometers

Food Industry, Helpful Resources, PPO's Technology / By

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 …

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