Five Star Gourmet Foods Inc., Ontario, CA, is a premier manufacturer and copacker of frozen food products. Frozen entrees, pizza products, custom sauces and marinades, handheld snack foods, savory stuffed pockets and frozen sandwiches are just a few of its products that are produced and private labeled for retailers nationwide.

All of this variety seemed to make reliable metal detection impossible. “We tested several top brands of metal detectors, and they all failed to deliver the consistent level of security we demand,” says Q.A. manager Marissa Myat.“We inspect fresh and frozen products, and the temperature differences and the multitude of product conditions overwhelmed every metal detector we tested.”

Finally, Five Star Gourmet decided to try the new CEIA THS 21 detector from Heat and Control Inc. “Our line operators decided to give it the torture test,” recalls Myat. “We mixed different types of fresh and frozen product in the same run to quickly expose any shortcomings. To our surprise, the CEIA metal detector passed every test. Its performance really exceeded our expectations.”

Metal detectors minimize recalls
Utilizing patent-pending technology, the CEIA THS 21 metal detector delivers extremely high sensitivity for efficient inspection of all forms of food products. Its inspection accuracy minimizes the possibility of recalls caused by metal contamination.

CEIA’s simple control system stores settings for 500 products and directly recalls frequently used functions to provide fast, accurate product changeovers. Its proprietary AutoLearn technology selects and displays the optimal sensitivity setting to eliminate guesswork and inspection errors. During operation, the detector continuously tests and recalibrates itself to compensate for product-effect conditions.

Data for every detection and ejection action are saved for inspection, programming and functional testing, and to certify production quality. Combined with its memory for 500 products, this provides fast, error-free changeovers.

CEIA’s internal evaluation technology eliminates the need to use external instruments to measure the mechanical and environmental electromagnetic compatibility of the installation and the degree of metal interference from the product conveyor belt. Its bluetooth connectivity permits remote programming, monitoring and downloading of detection data. The detector is ISO 9001 certified, HACCP and FDA Title 21CFR Part 11 compliant, and it features IP69 and IP69K construction for washdown environments.

Three metal detectors
Five Star Gourmet now runs all of its products through three CEIA detectors. “Speeds range from 150 to 450 items/min per line, and each metal detector runs a minimum of 14 hrs/day, five days/week”, explains CEO Tal Shoshan. “With this very high volume of products, downtime is not an option and food safety is non-negotiable.”

The state-of-the art, USDA-inspected facility manufactures and copacks food products that are distributed to restaurant chains, clubs, retail chains, airlines, schools and foodservice distributors. Started in 1999, Five Star Gourmet Foods employs 146 full- and part-time employees, and it also offers product development and custom formulation.

“We care about our clients, and we care about the products we produce,” explains Shoshan. “Our business has been built on quality and food safety, and that’s why the CEIA detectors are an integral part of our company.

“Heat and Control’s installation, startup, operator training and post-sale support have also been very good,” he continues.  “With the CEIA metal detectors, our security and comfort levels are extremely high. Their reporting features are very important to us, and the detectors are simple to operate and have been completely trouble-free. CEIA has been a fantastic system for our company and our customers.”


MORE INFORMATION IS AVAILABLE

Heat and Control Inc., 800/227-5980. www.heatandcontrol.com

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