Fortress Technology is marking its 30th anniversary by outlining how food inspection has developed from a largely standalone, manually operated function into an increasingly automated and integrated part of food production.

Founded in 1996, the Canadian inspection technology company supplies metal detection, checkweighing, X-ray and vision inspection systems to food manufacturers and other industries.

Founder and President Steve Gidman said food production floors required considerably more manual intervention when the company began operating. Metal detectors were typically treated as isolated pieces of equipment, receiving attention primarily when an alarm was triggered or production stopped.

Automation, higher line speeds and tighter staffing levels have since changed the role of inspection equipment. Systems are now increasingly expected to collect production data, document tests and communicate with other equipment while requiring less direct intervention from operators.

“One of the things we really concentrated on from the outset was to make a machine that you could walk up to without a manual, look at the buttons and know what to do,” Gidman said.

Fortress said the same emphasis on accessible operation was applied to the touchscreen technology it presented at interpack 2026.

The development of inspection systems has occurred alongside changes in food safety regulation. The US Food Safety Modernization Act, signed into law in 2011, shifted the country’s regulatory approach towards the prevention of food safety problems. The UK Food Standards Agency was established in 2000, while the European Food Safety Authority was created in 2002.

Gidman said labour constraints and faster production lines have also strengthened the case for automated testing.

“When we look back to 1996, food processing staff had the ‘extra bandwidth’ to calibrate a machine and perform tests manually. Now, fewer employees are expected to manage more high-priority systems. On a high-speed line, asking an employee to manually insert and retrieve test pieces is a liability risk and inefficient,” he said.

Fortress subsequently developed its Halo Automatic Testing System to automate performance testing and record the results without requiring operators to place and retrieve test samples manually.

The company also identified raw-material and upstream inspection as an increasingly important part of contamination control. This is particularly relevant to potato processing, where foreign material entering with the crop can be fragmented by cutting and processing equipment before reaching final-pack inspection.

The risks were demonstrated in Prince Edward Island in 2014, when metal objects were discovered in potatoes supplied by Linkletter Farms. Specified potato products were withdrawn from sale, while Cavendish Farms reported detecting foreign metal during a French fry production run. The processor said the affected output was destroyed and potentially involved raw potatoes were quarantined before any product left the facility.

“By demanding that suppliers implement their own detection protocols, manufacturers can ensure the integrity of the entire food chain rather than just the final packaged product,” Gidman said.

Fortress expects the next phase of inspection development to include more compact combination systems that bring metal detection, checkweighing, X-ray and vision inspection into a common platform. Data exchanged between the modules could allow one system to adjust or inform another according to product position, weight or other variables.

“With floor space at a premium, the future is not more machines, just more intelligent ones,” Gidman said.

The company also expects artificial intelligence to play a growing role in adjusting inspection processes and analysing production information.

“AI will be central to this future process. The ability to constantly refine and adapt processes allows manufacturers to achieve the highest possible standards of safety and accuracy, protecting both product integrity and brand reputation,” Gidman said.

The FDA’s Food Traceability Rule is also expected to reinforce the transition from paper-based documentation towards digital records. The FDA has proposed extending the rule’s compliance date to July 20, 2028, while US legislation currently directs the agency not to enforce it before that date.

“The end goal of brand protection remains the same. However, the metal detector has transitioned from being a mere ‘policeman’ stationed at the end of the production line to becoming an integral partner in a comprehensive education and food safety ecosystem,” Gidman said.