When there’s an E. coli outbreak, we all hear about it. A less common—but still serious—concern is the potential for foreign metal particles to slip into our food. These particles could come from anywhere along the supply chain, including the machinery used to process food and wire meshes used to filter ingredients. If you’ve never heard of something like that happening, it’s likely because these are usually one-off events. Unlike a bacterial strain that can infect an entire production line, a stray piece of metal will typically impact only one package of food.  While rare, metal shards in your food can create a real hazard. Once in your mouth, metal shards can cut your tongue or cheeks, or even crush your teeth. If swallowed, the results could be even worse. As we’ve discussed before, magnets are an integral part of preventing metal from slipping into the food supply. But let’s take it a step further. How can a food manufacturer ensure the magnets meant to keep out other metals don’t slip in themselves?

Proper Magnet Care in the Food Supply

The consultants at D.L. Newslow & Associates have some recommendations on keeping your magnets in good working condition: 1. Ensure each magnet has a strength of at least 10,000 gauss before installation. Measuring the gauss level is crucial for ensuring sufficient magnetic strength. 2. Regularly check the strength of your magnets, and ensure they don’t fall below 10,000 gauss. This ensures you don’t lose integrity despite consistent use. Remember: Under certain conditions, a magnet may quickly decline in strength. 3. Clean your magnets on a defined schedule. This will ensure your magnets don’t become overburdened and remain at optimum power. Too much debris on a magnet may interfere with its ability to capture passing particles. 4. Have a 3rd party annually check the strength. In addition to making you look good on paper, this will give you a second opinion on all magnets, ensuring your internal processes are up to speed. 5. Supplement your magnets with metal detectors downstream. These will alert you if your magnets fail to pick something up. If they do, it’s a good indicator you should service the magnet more frequently. 6. Document everything. The FDA wants manufacturers to have a recordkeeping system for all metal detection efforts. This doesn’t need to be a complex computer system, but it should allow you to see when the magnets were serviced in the past, who serviced them, and when they’ll be serviced in the future.

Help from Apex Magnets

If you need powerful, permanent magnets, trust in Apex Magnets. We offer a wide range of rare earth magnets. Aren’t sure what you need? Contact our support team. We can help you find the right magnet for your purposes, and can even provide guidance on maintenance.