Key Technology, a member of the Duravant family of operating companies, has introduced enhanced FMAlert software for Veryx digital sorters. FMAlert captures and saves digital images of foreign material (FM) contaminants and can be programmed to immediately alert operators and signal a downstream device during critical FM events. Now, the next-generation FMAlert annotates each image to pinpoint the FM object detected and further eases access to records. Coupled with Veryx’s detection capabilities, FMAlert helps processors control FM, speed response to FM events, recognize trends, and improve documentation to protect food safety, the company said.

“New food safety regulations and consumers’ rising expectations for product quality are pushing processors to look at more ways to ensure their product is free from FM,” said Marco Azzaretti, Key advanced inspection systems product manager. “Equipping Veryx with FMAlert is a powerful combination. The sorter’s advanced Pixel Fusion sensor technology finds smaller and more subtle FM and defects, and it can better identify specific FM types. Veryx removes FM as well as product defects from the product stream with virtually no false rejects; FMAlert adds another layer of protection and helps document the process.” 
Key’s FMAlert captures and saves time-stamped digital images of critical FM present in the product stream and can be programmed to identify specific, user-defined FM types. The software also can be programmed to trigger a smart alarm to alert the operator or team when critical FM is found. “Marks” are digitally placed on the images to point out each critical FM contaminant, so it’s easily seen. The images are saved on the Veryx PC and can be downloaded at the sorter via a USB drive or accessed remotely. Beyond helping processors quickly react to FM quality problems and discover the root causes, FMAlert’s digital records help identify FM trends, such as reoccurring FM from a specific product source, and the documentation provides quality assurance to the processor and other stakeholders, the company said. 
While Veryx sorts out FM and user-specified defects by design, customers that want to maximize their certainty that all critical FM is removed can use FMAlert to trigger a downstream diverter or dump gate to separate the portion of the product flow where the critical FM was detected. 
Veryx is Key’s next-generation family of chute- and belt-fed sorters with four-channel cameras and laser scanners. Its Pixel Fusion detection technology tat combines pixel-level input from multiple cameras and laser sensors, detecting subtle differences to more clearly differentiate FM and product defects from good product, which increases product quality and process yield, the company said. For more information, visit www.key.net/products/Veryx.

In George Orwell’s 1984, he conceives a futuristic dystopia where Big Brother watches over every citizen. While his concept of constant surveillance of the population is an unwelcome thought, there are situations where an increased level of monitoring can lead to incredible benefits. In this article, Yonatan Hyatt, CTO of autonomous machine vision provider Inspekto, explores the concept of Total QA and the technology that has made it possible.

Total QA means performing quality assurance activity at every stage on the production line and autonomous machine vision is now helping enable this. This is because the systems are available at a lower cost and can be installed by plant personnel in minutes. Additionally, if the QA manager chooses to move the system to another location, it can quickly self-adapt. The integrator-less deployment and reduction in cost means that manufacturers are no longer limited to visual QA only at major junctions. Rather, they can install visual QA at any point they feel necessary.

As well as finding the defects themselves, manufacturers can do root cause analysis to find out why they were introduced. A manufacturer using Total QA can trace through archived data to identify which equipment is the source of the problem and then take steps to correct it. By optimizing the plant in this manner, the QA manager can prevent defects from being introduced in the future.

While surveillance of our day to day activities, like that of Big Brother in Orwell’s 1984, is something best kept in fiction, increased visual QA of our manufacturing lines is not. Enabled by autonomous machine vision, Total QA is a reality — allowing plants to reduce scrap, improve yield and optimize their lines. For more information, visit https://inspekto.com/.

The government shutdown officially became the longest in U.S. history on January 12. So, if you’re looking for information on what FDA is able to do during the shutdown to continue protecting the safety of U.S. foods, the FDA website pretty much says it all:

“In the absence of either an FY 2019 appropriation or a Continuing Resolution for FDA, beginning on December 22, 2018 and continuing until the date of enactment of an FY 2019 appropriation or Continuing Resolution ("lapse period"), agency operations continue to the extent permitted by law, such as activities necessary to address imminent threats to the safety of human life and activities funded by carryover user fee funds.”

And that is further restricted by the fact that the agency is operating with only about 50% of its workers, as nearly half have been furloughed since December 22, 2018.

FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb has been maintaining a fairly steady stream of tweets, with one thread, in particular, providing a view of what the agency is doing:

“SHUTDOWN UPDATE: The lapse in funding represents one of the most significant operational challenges in FDA’s recent history. But as an agency, we’re committed to fulfilling our consumer protection mandate, to the best of our abilities, under our current configuration.

"We analyzed activities with close input from senior career leaders & public health experts. Our plans always included activities to address immediate threats to human life & safety. But as lapse continues we’re evaluating additional activities we need to except to prevent threats.

 “FDA determined after careful analysis and in close consultation with senior career leaders and public health experts that the following activities should be considered excepted, unpaid work because they’re necessary to identify and respond to threats to safety of human life:

“The additional activities may be considered excepted work during a shutdown. Given the prolonged shutdown and compounding risk as time accrues; FDA is working to operationalize additional activities that exceed what we’ve done in past shutdown situations. Activities include:

• Expanded inspection activities beyond ‘for-cause’ inspections to also include foreign and domestic food, drug, medical, device and pharmacy compounding surveillance inspections focused on the highest risk products and facilities;
• Expanded monitoring and analysis by the Coordinated Outbreak and Response Evaluation (CORE) Network to include additional food safety and foodborne illness outbreak surveillance, detection, and response activities;
• Surveillance sampling of imported high-risk foods, drugs, and devices, and the logistical coordination and laboratory support for allowable inspections and evaluation;
• Expanded monitoring and evaluating medical device adverse event and malfunction reports to include additional types of medical devices;
• Expanded activities related to surveillance and response for recalls (including Class I and Class II) as necessary to identify and respond to threats to the safety of human life;
• These actions are being taken in close consultation with, and based on direct feedback from, senior career leadership of FDA, our program officers, and our range of experts. Our mission is focused squarely on securing consumer safety and protecting Americans during these times.”

From this, it’s evident that, as Gottlieb also states, “It is not business as usual at FDA.” While many key functions are not able to be done, the agency is focusing on “maintaining core activities that directly impact consumer safety and save lives.”

However, the longer the shutdown continue, the worse it is likely to get, as any non-immment-threat activities are operated only under carryover user fees, which Gottlieb said will last only one to two months. After that more employees could be furloughed.

Follow Gottlieb on Twitter at @SGottliebFDA.