Enhancing Safety and Productivity in Salad Production

Fresh Food and Beverage Group AG process agricultural products and preserve them, creating delicious food that is ready to cook, ready to eat, tasty and fresh. The main principle underpinning the company's success is the best raw materials and efficient production, combined with a commitment to producing safe and high-quality products.

As a supplier to the restaurant and catering industry, Fresh Food and Beverage Group AG must maximize its productivity and maintain consistent product quality. To meet a significant increase in demand for fresh salads in its home market, the company added a new production line for a range of 30 salad products within its factory.

Checkweigher and metal detection combination system

Product Safety for Harsh Environments

Fresh Food and Beverage Group's top priority is delivering safe food for consumers. With the new production line, the ability to comply with strict food safety standards was essential, as was the need for durable product inspection equipment capable of withstanding harsh washdown conditions. With the new line needing to be integrated into the existing production facility, a compact footprint was also highly desirable.

“We have a long history of working with METTLER TOLEDO," commented Joachim Gründing, Team Leader for Quality Management and Food Safety, "so they were a natural choice when selecting suppliers."

Dual Functionality

Gründing continues, "Functionality and price were very important factors in our decision-making process. METTLER TOLEDO was able to provide a CombiChecker unit which combines checkweighing with metal detection to inspect products for metal contamination and check overfill quantities at the same time. Our experience of previous CombiChecker systems from METTLER TOLEDO gave us confidence that the XS3 CombiChecker was the ideal solution for us for our new fresh line."

With a requirement for more than 20 changeovers a day on the new line, the company wanted a product inspection system that was easy to operate. Department Manager Thomas Buff praised CombiChecker’s ease of use commenting, "The touch panel interface is simple to operate, and the reporting functionality is great for analyzing product weight. Data is available on-screen but can also be exported for further reporting and analysis. Our systems are all SAP-driven, and CombiChecker’s internal software integrates with our Factory Information Systems to help us maximize productivity."

Identification and rejection of any products that exceed fill levels helps Fresh Food and Beverage Group AG to minimize costs associated with product waste. The metal detector helps to provide assurance that products are free of metal contaminants, protecting the company's brand reputation.

Complying with International Standards

Adherence to international food safety standards, such as International Featured Standards (IFS), is essential for global food processors like Fresh Food and Beverage Group. The system’s visual signals provide operators with confirmation that it meets specified standards.

Fresh Food and Beverage Group AG have more than 30 production lines in their facility, most are equipped with product inspection systems from METTLER TOLEDO. With a framework agreement in place, this well-established partnership will continue to grow for many years.

Why METTLER TOLEDO?

METTLER TOLEDO is a global leader in designing proven product inspection solutions that empower manufacturers to inspect every product with confidence, protect their brands, profits, and productivity, and comply easily with industry requirements.

Our systems help you:

Enhance product safety by detecting and removing physical contaminants
Improve quality control with weight control and automated vision inspection of labels and packaging
Increase production efficiency by reducing waste and optimizing processes
Support compliance with regulatory requirements and industry standards
Protect brand reputation by delivering consistently high-quality products

Our regional support centers offer free product tests and live demonstrations, allowing you to test our solutions before you invest. Additionally, our global service solutions provide comprehensive support to keep your inspection systems running smoothly throughout the entire lifecycle of your equipment.