Hidden product losses could be costing protein plants hundreds of thousands each year. This is where engineered belt cleaners come into play.
In food processing, the phrase “time is money” only tells part of the story. According to Jonathan Morgan, industry manager – food processing at Flexco, some of the biggest financial losses aren’t measured in minutes, but in product that never makes it to the customer.
“In protein processing, every kilogram of product that ends up on the floor represents lost yield and lost labour,” Morgan said. “It’s money you can’t recover.”
One of the most common causes of this loss is belt conveyor carryback — product that sticks to the belt after discharge and falls onto the floor or builds up on conveyor components. Proteins are naturally sticky, and without effective cleaning at transfer points, material has a habit of travelling where it shouldn’t.
“OEMs often try to manage carryback with fixed UHMW scrapers, but these wear over time and lose contact with the belt,” said Morgan. “They’re also difficult to remove for sanitation, which is a major concern in food processing environments.”
This is where engineered belt cleaners come into play. Designed specifically for hygienic applications, they use food-grade materials and tensioning systems that maintain constant blade-to-belt contact as components wear. They are also built for easy disassembly, supporting faster and more effective sanitation procedures.
Identifying where waste is occurring is the first step. Morgan advocates for what he calls a “waste walk” – a visual inspection of the plant floor and conveyor structures to locate areas where product is falling or accumulating.
“Anything on the floor or stuck in the framework is product that never reached its intended destination,” he said. “That’s lost revenue, extra cleaning, and increased safety risk.”
The impact of addressing carryback can be substantial. During a waste walk at a pork processing facility, more than 1,400 kilograms of product per day were found to be falling from a single ham trim line. The plant had been using a homemade scraper that initially performed well, but blade wear caused it to lose effectiveness, resulting in excessive carryback and frequent manual clean-up.
After installing a USDA-certified FGP Food Grade Precleaner with spring tensioning to maintain consistent contact, the results were immediate. Carryback was virtually eliminated, reducing scrap by approximately 90 per cent. The recovered product translated to annual savings of more than $700,000, while also reducing maintenance intervention and improving housekeeping and safety around the conveyor.
“Cleaner belts mean higher yield, less downtime, and a safer environment for your people,” Morgan said. “When you look at what’s sitting on your plant floor, you’re often looking at significant, preventable cost.”
For protein processors looking to uncover similar opportunities in their own operations, a structured “waste walk” can be a practical first step. Flexco offers complimentary waste walk assessments to help identify sources of carryback, product loss and clean-up inefficiencies, and to recommend engineered solutions tailored to hygienic processing environments.
“You can’t improve what you don’t measure. A waste walk shows you exactly where product – and profit – is being left behind,” said Morgan.