How Sorting Technologies Make Confectionery Production Safer and More Efficient

Brand reputation is so important, yet in the confectionery business all it takes is one momentary slip in standards for this to be damaged and devalued

If just one batch of defective products should reach the end of the production line - or worse still, a foreign material potentially harmful to health - the commercial repercussions can be catastrophic. Which means that installing optical sorting machines on confectionery lines is crucial not only for product quality, but also to assure food safety.

Today’s sorting technologies achieve an accuracy that manual sorting simply cannot. The optical sorting machines offered by industry-leader TOMRA Food can be relied upon to detect and eject foreign materials, cross-contamination, product clumping, and malformed products. And at the same time as looking over the production line like guardian angels, automated sorters also enhance product hygiene, solve labor-related challenges, increase throughput, maximize yield, and gather data that can unlock further improvements in line efficiency.

All of this matters more now than ever before because consumers’ demands are changing. More people around the world are earning middle-class incomes and acquiring middle-class tastes. More are raising their expectations of food product quality. And fewer are prepared to tolerate product imperfections without complaining about them on social media platforms, where comments and photos can quickly reach and influence large audiences.