Fanchi-tech FA-XIS Pipeline X-Ray System Secures Food Safety at FreshHarvest Foods
FreshHarvest Foods stands as one of the premier foodservice providers for salads, dressings, and ready-to-eat entrees in the United States. Headquartered in Memphis, Tennessee since 1976, the company delivers hundreds of high-quality products—from signature creamy salad dressings and chilled grain salads to hearty dips, frozen entrees, and side dishes. Guided by the mantra “quality as the main ingredient,” as emphasized by Brian Edmonds, FreshHarvest’s Vice President, the brand has rapidly expanded its reach: its products now stock restaurant menus nationwide, line the shelves of top retail chains, and even feature in popular television cooking segments.
While the FreshHarvest brand is synonymous with award-winning flavor, private label and custom-formulated products have emerged as a rapidly growing segment of its business. No matter how customers encounter FreshHarvest’s offerings—whether in a restaurant, grocery store, or meal kit—they rely on consistent, premium quality. This unwavering standard is what led the company to partner with Shanghai Fanchi-tech Machinery Co., Ltd. for a transformative inspection upgrade.
A 20-Year Foundation of Trust, Elevated by Innovation
FreshHarvest’s relationship with Fanchi-tech began two decades ago, rooted in a referral from a fellow foodservice industry colleague and solidified by the reliability of Fanchi-tech’s FA-MD Harsh-Liner Metal Detectors. So when the company approached Kerry Wang, Fanchi-tech’s North American Sales Director, about adding a second layer of defense to ensure product consistency and elevate food safety standards, she prioritized an on-site plant assessment immediately.
“Industry food safety regulations are stringent, but having worked with FreshHarvest for years, I know they hold their products to an even higher benchmark,” Wang noted. “With Fanchi-tech’s FA-MD metal detectors already safeguarding each of their six production lines, our goal was to implement a complementary system that addresses gaps metal detection alone can’t cover—creating a truly comprehensive safety net.”
The Challenge: Harsh Environments & Unseen Contaminant Risks
Fanchi-tech’s team conducted a full operational audit, mapping FreshHarvest’s workflow from raw ingredient receiving to filling, packaging, and distribution. This deep dive revealed three critical pain points that demanded an advanced X-ray solution:
- Extreme Operational Conditions: Production areas operate at near-freezing temperatures to preserve fresh, refrigerated products. Additionally, strict HACCP compliance requires frequent, high-pressure wet washdowns—putting equipment durability to the test.
- Offline Metal Detection Limitations: FreshHarvest was using its FA-MD metal detectors as offline systems, inspecting only large 12–30 pound finished containers at the final production stage. This meant contaminants in raw ingredients—such as stone fragments in salsa vegetables or rubber bits from processing equipment—often went undetected until late in the process.
- Non-Metallic Contaminant Threats: Products like blue cheese dressing (with dense clumps), chunky salsa, and potato salad carried risks of non-metallic hazards—glass shards, calcified bone, and high-density plastics—that metal detectors couldn’t identify, posing a threat to consumer safety and brand reputation.
“We’ve relied on Fanchi-tech’s metal detectors for years because they perform exceptionally well in our tough environment,” said Dennis Spence, FreshHarvest’s Plant Manager. “We operate in cold temperatures and subject equipment to harsh washdowns, and the FA-MD systems still work like new. But as our safety standards evolved, we knew we needed X-ray technology to catch what metal alone misses.”
FreshHarvest’s commitment to excellence is tangible: it has scored 95% or higher on external industry sanitation audits for a decade—a streak it was determined to maintain with an upgraded inspection strategy.
The Solution: Fanchi-tech FA-XIS Pipeline X-Ray Inspection System
Based on the audit findings, Fanchi-tech recommended integrating two FA-XIS Pipeline X-Ray Systems—one on each of FreshHarvest’s highest-volume production lines. These systems were installed inline at the early production stage, creating a critical second layer of protection that addresses raw ingredient risks and non-metallic contaminants before they enter the manufacturing process. The FA-XIS systems work in synergy with FreshHarvest’s existing FA-MD metal detectors, forming a “defense in depth” approach to food safety.
Engineered for FreshHarvest’s Unique Needs
The FA-XIS Pipeline system was tailored to handle the demands of FreshHarvest’s high-volume, variable-product lines, with key features including:
- High-Flow Efficiency: Designed to process 15,000–30,000 pounds of product per hour (blue cheese dressing, chunky salsa, potato salad), the system’s 3-inch pipe width optimizes flow and prevents blockages—even with textured, inconsistent organic products.
- Massive Product Memory & Rapid Calibration: With 10,000 unique product profile storage and 30-second auto-calibration, the FA-XIS seamlessly adapts to FreshHarvest’s diverse product range. Operators can switch between recipes without downtime, a critical advantage for multi-product lines.
- Comprehensive Contaminant Detection: Identifies both metallic (ferrous, non-ferrous, stainless steel) and non-metallic contaminants, including glass, stone, calcified bone, high-density plastic, rubber, and even dense flavor clumps—eliminating risks metal detectors miss.
- Multi-Functional Quality Checks: Beyond contamination, the FA-XIS measures product density, verifies fill levels, counts components, and detects damaged packaging—ensuring consistency in every batch and reducing waste.
- Harsh-Environment Durability: Built with an IP69K rating and cold-resistant components, the FA-XIS withstands FreshHarvest’s freezing temperatures and frequent wet washdowns, matching the reliability of the existing FA-MD systems.
- Proprietary Image Processing: Captures high-resolution product images and 3D models in real time, providing visual verification of quality and enabling traceability of inspection results.
Client Success: Safer Products, Stronger Relationships, & Brand Protection
The integration of Fanchi-tech’s FA-XIS systems delivered immediate and measurable results for FreshHarvest:
“In the food processing industry, risk is constant—anything can happen at any time,” Edmonds said. “Our goal is to mitigate that risk, and the combination of Fanchi-tech’s FA-MD and FA-XIS systems has been a game-changer. We now have complete confidence that we’re protecting our customers from every conceivable contaminant hazard.”
As President of the Refrigerated Foods Association (RFA)—a role that lets him shape industry safety standards—Edmonds speaks with authority: “I can’t stress enough how important a multi-level inspection approach is. It protects distributors, retailers, customers, and your brand’s reputation. Fanchi-tech’s solution is the gold standard for how to implement that.”
The benefits extend beyond safety to operational and commercial success:
- Improved Supplier Quality: FreshHarvest now shares FA-XIS inspection data with suppliers, helping them refine their processes and deliver higher-quality raw ingredients.
- Reduced Final-Stage Contaminants: Early-stage X-ray inspection has cut the number of contaminants found in final production checks by over 65%, protecting the FreshHarvest brand and reducing recall risks.
- Seamless Implementation: Fanchi-tech provided start-up support and one week of on-site training for operators. “The icon-driven control panel means our team can run the FA-XIS systems without specialized training,” Spence noted. “The implementation was smoother than we ever expected.”
- Reliable Support: FreshHarvest joined Fanchi-tech’s Premium Service Program, ensuring 5-star support and fast access to technical expertise. “We haven’t needed to use the service yet— the FA-XIS systems have been incredibly reliable—but having that safety net gives us total peace of mind,” Spence added.
“Operating the FA-XIS systems daily has been effortless,” said Spence. “They meet our strict standards and our customers’ codes of practice, and they’ve noticeably increased our production efficiency. Partnering with Fanchi-tech was the best decision for our food safety and our business.”
Elevate Your Food Safety with Fanchi-tech FA-XIS
Whether you’re processing refrigerated foods, dressings, or ready-to-eat meals—even in the harshest production environments—the FA-XIS Pipeline X-Ray System delivers unmatched protection against both metallic and non-metallic contaminants. It turns inspection into a competitive advantage, safeguarding your brand and building trust with every stakeholder.
To learn how the FA-XIS system can enhance your operation, contact Kerry Wang at Shanghai Fanchi-tech Machinery Co., Ltd.:
- Email: fanchitech@outlook.com
- Website: www.fanchitechnology.com
Post time: Nov-12-2025