Valuable Coin Could Have Caused a Food Production Nightmare

The news outlets and social media posts were buzzing this month about a gold coin that was discovered in a field by someone combing the area with a metal detector¹. The coin, a 13th-century gold penny found in southwestern Britain, fetched about a half million dollars at auction. The coin was valuable not only for the gold content, but also, of course, for the history.

What does that have to do with the food industry?

The ecologist who was operating the metal finding instrument says he was working on a farm field in the town of Hemyock—about 150 miles southwest of London—when his metal detector started pinging. He believes that his metal detecting activity “ultimately saved this magnificent coin from the plough blade.”

The American Farm Bureau Federation notes that there are 2 million farms that dot America’s rural landscape, and 86% of U.S. ag products are produced on family farms or ranches – which matches up with the most recent survey by the U.S. Department of Agriculture which reported that there were 2.02 million U.S. farms in 2020.

So if you are in the food production business, you most likely are processing foods from farms — farms whose ground has been planted and ploughed over hundreds of years. That ground contains soil that was probably turned over and mixed with whatever lay on, and in, the field – including rocks, shells, bones, glass, nails, broken tools and fencing, and even the occasional coin.

Those inherent contaminant risks, like stones and metal fragments, can be picked up during harvesting and can present a damage risk to processing equipment and, unless detected and removed, a safety risk to consumers. If that coin was not found, it could have entered the production process, damaged expensive equipment, presented a consumer safety issue, caused a costly recall, spurred a social media nightmare, and damaged the company’s reputation.

The primary way to address this issue is to install sophisticated detection systems – such as using X-ray systems before materials are accepted,.

Food manufactures should use x-ray equipment to inspect raw ingredients such as nuts, berries, grains, and vegetables in bulk at the beginning of the process. These high-performance x-ray systems based on the conveyor model can find contaminants and remove them prior to further processing. Growers should also consider using X-ray systems to minimize physical contaminants prior to sending products out to their customers. This will help increase brand value and expand existing customer base.

X-ray systems work by comparing densities of materials. The denser the material, the easier it is for the machine to detect. During the bulk inspection process, loose material continuously passes thorough the x-ray inspection system and if there is a foreign physical contaminant found, it is rejected from the line for further inspection.

If your main concern is metal contamination only, then a metal detector would also be a good choice – but not the kind that helped find the coin. Industrial metal detectors for the food industry use high frequency radio signals to detect the presence of metal in food or other products. The newest multiscan metal detectors are capable of scanning up to five user-selectable frequencies running at a time, offering one of the highest probabilities of finding ferrous, non-ferrous, and stainless steel metal contaminants.

Food processors face significant challenges in getting their products into consumer hands, and it starts at the farm. However, a good food safety and quality program that utilizes the latest food weighing and inspection technologies can help food processors avoid damaged equipment, damaged reputations, and a blow to their bottom line – without having to find a half million dollar coin in the process.

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