Small businesses, who would not usually have the capital to invest in inspection technology, can take meat to AIS in Wellingborough, Northamptonshire for analysis.
A typical use is for food processors to check the quality of the raw meat they buy from suppliers. The service also offers detection and removal of contaminants.
New business model
Michael Stuart, fat analysis product specialist EMEA, Eagle Product Inspection, told FoodQualityNews.com the partnership is a new business model for the company.
“Working with AIS, it’s opened up the market to the smaller scale producers who still need to know what the fat content is, but might not necessarily have the resources for their own factory.
“The process itself is very quick, results are instantaneous. What typically happens is the end customer will have bought a small container load, a batch of meat, and will divert the vehicle to AIS [on the way to its processing facility].”
The facility is also useful for larger, busy companies, who manufacture a wide variety of products, he added.
“It’s a rare win-win situation. We win with exposure of our machines, AIS win because they can offer an additional service, and the end customer – who couldn’t justify getting a system – wins.”
Confidence for food producers
AIS has installed the Eagle FA720 PACK to determine the precise chemical lean (CL) content in packaged beef, lamb and pork products to within +/- one CL in real-time, Stuart said.
Manufacturers use the service to make sure they are adhering to retailer meat content percentage specifications. This is important to guard against costly fat claims, as well as preventing meat product giveaway.
Checking the fat content of raw meat gives food producers confidence in their suppliers, Stuart added.
“You know you’re not paying for something you’re not getting,” he said. “And when you use your own recipes, you know the raw meat meets the requirements of your recipes.”
The FA720 PACK can inspect for foreign bodies, at the same time as carrying out the fat analysis. It is able to detect contaminants including metal or glass shards, bones or stones, and dense plastics or rubber.
This means meat will comply with food safety standards such as the British Retail Consortium (BRC), Global Standards Verion 6, and International Featured Standard (IFS) version 6 (consumer wellbeing).
Eagle Product Inspection produces x-ray inspection and fat analysis systems for food and beverage processors.