FA-XIS Series X-Ray & FA-CW Checkweigher: Ensuring Contamination-Free Frozen Meat for Retail Leaders
For family-run frozen meat processors supplying major retailers, ensuring 100% contaminant-free products while adhering to strict BRC and retail codes of practice is non-negotiable. This is why Midlands Frozen Foods Ltd.—a UK-based manufacturer specializing in premium frozen meat products (including their flagship Four Bird Roast, combining turkey, chicken, duck, and goose)—partnered with Shanghai Fanchi-tech Machinery Co., Ltd. to deploy our FA-XIS Series Food X-Ray Inspection System and FA-CW Series Checkweigher. The integrated solution not only solved their unique challenge of inspecting foil-packaged products but also streamlined operations, reduced downtime, and guaranteed compliance with global food safety standards.
Company Background: A Legacy of Quality in Frozen Meats
Founded in Walsall, Birmingham, Midlands Frozen Foods has built a reputation for sourcing and packing high-quality frozen meats for over two decades. Operating from an A-grade BRC-accredited facility with a state-of-the-art processing hall and large cold store, the company processes 97 unique product specifications and supplies two of the UK’s largest supermarket chains. As demand for their innovative products grew, so did the need for a robust inspection solution that could keep pace with their production while addressing a critical technical challenge.
The Challenge: Inspecting Foil-Packaged Products with Zero Compromises
Midlands Frozen Foods faced a unique hurdle that many frozen meat processors encounter:
- Metallic Packaging Limitations: The majority of their products are packed in tin foil trays, which render standard metal detectors ineffective. The metallic packaging overloads detector signals, making it impossible to identify hidden contaminants.
- Diverse Product Range: With 97 different product specifications, the solution needed to support fast, seamless product changeovers to maximize uptime.
- Strict Compliance Requirements: Retailers’ codes of practice and BRC standards demanded 100% inspection of every product before dispatch, with detailed audit trails available on demand.
- Weight Accuracy: Ensuring every pack met exact weight specifications was critical to avoiding underweight penalties and maintaining retail trust.
“Our priority was to find a solution that could inspect foil-packaged products without compromising on sensitivity or speed,” says Steven Davies, Production Manager at Midlands Frozen Foods. “We needed a system that could handle our diverse product range, reduce downtime during changeovers, and give us complete confidence that every pack reaching supermarket shelves is safe and compliant.”
The Solution: FA-XIS Series X-Ray + FA-CW Checkweigher
After evaluating multiple suppliers, Midlands Frozen Foods chose Fanchi-tech’s integrated inspection solution for its technical expertise, reliability, and tailored approach to their needs. The combination of the FA-XIS Series X-Ray and FA-CW Checkweigher addressed all their pain points while adding operational value beyond basic inspection.
1. FA-XIS Series Food X-Ray Inspection System: The Ideal Solution for Foil Packaging
Designed to overcome the limitations of metal detectors with metallic packaging, the FA-XIS Series delivered breakthrough performance:
- Foil-Packaging Compatibility: Unlike standard metal detectors, the FA-XIS Series penetrates foil trays to detect both metallic (ferrous, non-ferrous, stainless steel) and non-metallic contaminants (glass, stone, calcified bone, high-density plastics, and rubber).
- Multi-Functional Inspection: Beyond contamination control, it detects product defects such as incorrect component count, zone mass measurement, and shape conformity—adding value beyond basic safety checks.
- Rapid Product Changeovers: The system stores pre-programmed settings for up to 100+ product specifications. Operators can recall product codes in 30 seconds via the intuitive color touchscreen, with no mechanical adjustments required.
- Strategic End-of-Line Placement: Installed after the shrink wrapper, the FA-XIS Series ensures no risk of post-inspection contamination, aligning with BRC and retailer requirements for final-stage quality control.
2. FA-CW Series Checkweigher: Precision Weighing for Retail Compliance
Complementing the FA-XIS Series, the FA-CW Checkweigher provided the weight accuracy Midlands Frozen Foods needed:
- Industry-Leading Accuracy: With ±0.6g precision, the FA-CW verifies that every pack meets exact weight specifications, eliminating underweight penalties and ensuring retail compliance.
- Data-Driven Reporting: USB connectivity and PC interface enable easy generation of diagnostic and statistical reports, which can be downloaded to a memory stick or factory network—critical for retailer audits.
- Seamless Integration: The checkweigher syncs with the FA-XIS Series to create a unified inspection workflow, with reject signals coordinated to remove non-compliant products efficiently.
The Outcome: Efficiency, Compliance, and Peace of Mind
Since deploying Fanchi-tech’s solution, Midlands Frozen Foods has achieved transformative results:
- 100% Contamination Detection: The FA-XIS Series successfully identifies contaminants in foil-packaged products, eliminating the risk of foreign material reaching consumers.
- 60% Reduction in Changeover Downtime: Pre-programmed product settings and one-touch recall cut changeover time from 5 minutes to 30 seconds, boosting overall production efficiency by 15%.
- Zero Underweight Packs: The FA-CW Checkweigher’s precision ensures every pack meets weight specifications, reducing retail penalties and improving profit margins.
- Simplified Compliance: Automated data logging and reporting make BRC and retailer audits straightforward, with complete visibility into inspection performance.
“The FA-XIS Series and FA-CW Checkweigher have exceeded our expectations,” says Steven Davies. “We’ve relied on Fanchi-tech’s equipment in the past for its reliability, and this new system is no exception. It’s incredibly easy to use, the product recall function has drastically reduced downtime, and we now have full confidence that our customers receive the highest quality, safest products possible.”
He adds: “The after-sales support from Fanchi-tech has been exceptional—friendly, knowledgeable, and responsive. We’re so pleased with the performance that we’re looking to expand the system to our new production lines as we grow.”
Why Fanchi-tech for Frozen Meat Processors?
For companies like Midlands Frozen Foods, our FA-XIS Series and FA-CW Checkweigher deliver unmatched value:
- Foil-Packaging Expertise: The FA-XIS Series solves the industry-wide challenge of inspecting metallic-packaged products, a limitation of standard metal detectors.
- Multi-Functional Performance: Combines contamination detection, weight verification, and quality control in a streamlined workflow.
- User-Centric Design: Intuitive touchscreen interface and pre-programmed product settings minimize operator training and reduce human error.
- Compliance Readiness: Meets BRC, FDA, and EU food safety standards, with built-in reporting capabilities to satisfy retailer audit requirements.
- Proven Reliability: Built to withstand the harsh conditions of frozen food processing, with durable construction that ensures long-term performance.
Take the Next Step: Secure Your Frozen Meat Production Line
If you’re facing the challenge of inspecting foil-packaged products or need a reliable, high-speed inspection solution for your frozen meat line, contact Kerry Wang (Food Safety Equipment Specialist) to schedule a free virtual demo of the FA-XIS Series and FA-CW Checkweigher. We’ll tailor the solution to your product range, packaging type, and compliance needs—with free sample testing to prove performance.
Shanghai Fanchi-tech Machinery Co., Ltd.
- Email: fanchitech@outlook.com
- Website: www.fanchitechnology.com
Post time: Dec-29-2025