September 30, 2026 – METTLER TOLEDO announced today that its new X-ray Reclaim Foreign Material Re-inspection Services facility in Dallas, Texas, is scheduled to open on October 5, 2026. Strategically located to support manufacturers across Texas and the surrounding region, the facility will expand access to rapid-response re-inspection services for food, beverage, ingredient, personal care, and pet food manufacturers responding to suspected foreign material incidents.

The Dallas facility will provide manufacturers with a dedicated location for evaluating affected products through professionally managed re-inspection, contaminant extraction, application validation, and documented reporting. The expanded regional capacity gives customers greater flexibility in selecting the service approach that best fits their product, volume, timeline, facility requirements, and logistical considerations.

By combining in-house and mobile capabilities, X-ray Reclaim from METTLER TOLEDO helps manufacturers respond efficiently to foreign material concerns, reduce operational disruption, and make informed product disposition decisions with greater confidence.

Supporting Manufacturers When Rapid Response Matters

When foreign material concerns arise, manufacturers often face significant operational and financial pressure while determining the appropriate disposition of quarantined product. METTLER TOLEDO X-ray Reclaim services provide access to inspection technology, experienced personnel, and project documentation to support the evaluation of affected product.

The Dallas facility offers a controlled, professionally managed environment for customers that prefer to ship quarantined finished goods to a dedicated re-inspection location. This in-house option can be particularly valuable when customers require additional space, specialized equipment, or an inspection setting separate from their production operations.

For manufacturers that need to keep products at their own facility, the X-ray Reclaim team can also bring the inspection directly to the customer through a mobile re-inspection service.

“Manufacturers need rapid access to reliable inspection resources when responding to potential foreign material incidents,” said JP Perreault, Head of X-ray Reclaim Services at METTLER TOLEDO. “The Dallas facility strengthens our ability to support customers through both dedicated in-house re-inspection and mobile operations deployed directly to customer sites. These options give manufacturers greater flexibility while providing access to advanced inspection capabilities, experienced operational expertise, and responsive service when time is critical.”

In-House and Mobile Re-inspection Options

Beginning October 5, manufacturers will be able to ship quarantined finished goods to the Dallas facility for professionally managed re-inspection and contaminant extraction services. The in-house operation is designed to support a range of project sizes and product types while providing a dedicated environment for inspection, handling, traceability, and reporting.

The Dallas team will coordinate project planning, product intake, inspection, contaminant extraction, and documentation. Application testing is conducted before the project begins to assess the product, packaging, suspected contaminant, and inspection objectives.

For urgent situations, high-volume projects, or manufacturers that prefer to avoid transporting quarantined products, the X-ray Reclaim team can deploy a fully equipped mobile re-inspection operation directly to the customer’s facility. Mobile teams bring the required inspection equipment and operational expertise on-site, allowing manufacturers to evaluate product closer to where it is held.

Mobile re-inspection may help reduce transportation requirements, simplify product handling, support faster access to quarantined inventory, and limit disruption to customer operations. Deployments are typically available within 48 hours following application validation and project authorization, depending on project scope, location, equipment requirements, and scheduling.

With both in-house and mobile options, METTLER TOLEDO can tailor the re-inspection approach to the manufacturer’s operational needs. Customers can work with the X-ray Reclaim team to determine whether shipment to Dallas, an on-site mobile deployment, or a combination of both best fits the project.

Advanced Technology for Challenging Foreign Material Applications

X-ray Reclaim services utilize PXT™ photon-counting x-ray inspection technology to support the detection of challenging foreign materials, including ferrous, non-ferrous, and stainless-steel contaminants, glass, stone, bone, mineralized contaminants, and select low-density materials.

PXT™ photon-counting technology is also available within the Eagle by METTLER TOLEDO product line.

Every project begins with application testing to establish detection thresholds based on the specific product, packaging, and suspected contaminant. The results support project planning and help the X-ray Reclaim team select an appropriate inspection approach for the application and project objectives.

Expanding Support Across North America

The Dallas facility reflects an ongoing commitment to expanding X-ray Reclaim service capacity and improving access to re-inspection support for manufacturers across North America. The facility adds a regional in-house option while also expanding the team’s ability to coordinate mobile re-inspection projects at customer locations.

Additional updates regarding planned enhancements to the Ontario, Canada operation are expected later this year.

Advance project inquiries for the Dallas facility are now being accepted. Manufacturers interested in arranging application testing, discussing upcoming projects, evaluating in-house or mobile re-inspection options, or learning more about X-ray Reclaim services are encouraged to contact the team ahead of the October 5 opening.

METTLER TOLEDO at Fall Industry Events

• Ontario Food Protection Association’s Annual Food Safety Conference, Sept. 29-30, Brampton, Ontario, Canada
• Food World Summit: Safety, Quality & Manufacturing, Oct. 5-7, Grapevine, Texas
• Pack Expo, Oct. 18-21, Chicago, booth S-2122

At Pack Expo 2026 in Chicago, Universal Robots (UR) is showcasing its newly launched 7th-generation robotics platform, Gen 7. Designed out-of-the-box as an AI-ready system, Gen 7 represents a full-stack redesign from tool flange to controller, engineered to reduce integration friction and accelerate the deployment of physical AI on factory floors.

Teradyne Robotics’ (UR parent company) PACK EXPO booth N6041 will feature live demonstrations of the new Gen 7 hardware alongside advanced vision, gripping, autonomous logistics, and end-of-line packaging solutions developed in collaboration with UR+ ecosystem partners.

Universal Robots Gen 7 Platform

The exhibition centerpiece highlights the newly launched Gen 7 platform, which powers the g-Series cobot arms (including the UR10g-1750, UR17g-1300, and UR18g-950). The platform combines the new CB7 Core controller, the ergonomic TP7 Core teach pendant, the SP7 Smart Panel tool-flange interface, and the PolyScope X software platform.

The CB7 controller delivers 40% more compute capacity within a 30% smaller footprint, enabling multi-network communication without external network switches. The g-Series tool flange supplies data, power, and safety signals directly at the end of the robot arm. By routing connections directly through the flange, the platform eliminates external cable management bottlenecks, simplifies sensor attachments, and establishes native hardware support for real-time sensing and edge AI processing.

Cognex Integrated Vision Systems

In a joint demonstration, Cognex 2D and 3D industrial vision systems operate directly on the Gen 7 platform to showcase integrated machine vision and robotics.

•       Flange-Direct Hardware Connectivity: Cognex cameras plug directly into the g-Series tool flange connectors. By delivering power and           Ethernet at the end joint, the system eliminates external cabling harnesses, bend-radius restrictions, and strain-relief hardware.

•       Edge AI Inspection: Utilizing camera-based edge-learning tools that execute without an external host PC, the setup demonstrates               optical character recognition (OCR) for serial numbers, component verification to detect misplaced or gray-market parts, and defect              inspection.

•       On-the-Fly Adjustments: Cross-calibration between the vision sensors and the robot enables real-time part tracking and dynamic                 path adjustments during handling operations.

Robotiq Palletizing Solution

This demonstration illustrates how collaborative palletizing helps manufacturers increase throughput while reducing the physical demands of repetitive end-of-line operations. Featuring the Robotiq Palletizing Workcell integrated with Universal Robots technology, the setup showcases a flexible and user-friendly approach to palletizing boxes and packaged goods. It highlights how intuitive programming, rapid deployment, and adaptable workflows enable businesses to automate palletizing tasks with minimal complexity, improving productivity, ergonomics, and operational efficiency.

Rocketfarm Pally Palletizing Software

This demonstration showcases Rocketfarm’s Pally software running on Universal Robots hardware for software-driven end-of-line packaging. The display highlights rapid pallet pattern configuration, quick product changeovers, and how operators can modify stacking parameters to accommodate varying packaging formats and product dimensions.

MiR1200 Autonomous Pallet Jack

Addressing internal material transport, the MiR1200 Pallet Jack, from UR sister company Mobile Industrial Robots demonstrates autonomous pallet transportation across production, packaging, warehousing, and shipping environments. The system automates heavy pallet movement to reduce manual handling and forklift traffic without requiring modifications to existing facility infrastructure.

Magswitch PolyScope X Magnetic Gripping

This hands-on demonstration combines Universal Robots' PolyScope X software with Magswitch smart magnetic gripping technology. Operating a UR cobot equipped with a magnetic end-effector, the display illustrates flexible handling of steel components. The setup demonstrates rapid task configuration, intuitive operator controls, and how magnetic grippers adapt to varying workpiece geometries.

TORONTO, October 6, 2026 – Canadians continue to have considerable goodwill toward the country’s food system, but new research from the Canadian Centre for Food Integrity (CCFI) shows that the environment surrounding that trust is becoming more complex.

The findings, released today at CCFI’s 2026 Public Trust Summit, mark the 10^th year of CCFI’s national public trust research.

Most Canadians (57%) still have a positive impression of Canada’s food system, unchanged from 2025. But confidence in where the system is headed has weakened. Four in 10 Canadians, 40%, believe the food system is moving in the right direction, down five percentage points from last year, while the proportion who are unsure has risen to 38%.

“Canadians haven’t lost confidence in the food system today, but they’re becoming more uncertain about what comes next,” said Lisa Bishop-Spencer, Executive Director of the Canadian Centre for Food Integrity. “Trust is still there, but it’s operating in an environment shaped by affordability pressures, a more difficult information landscape, and rapid change.”

Affordability remains the clearest pressure. Nearly half of Canadians, 49%, rate the cost of food as a major concern, unchanged from 2025 and ahead of inflation, access to healthcare, availability of healthy food, and the Canadian economy.

The research also points to growing challenges around the information Canadians receive about food.

Concern about food misinformation increased significantly, from 40% in 2025 to 43% in 2026. Canadians are also slightly more likely to say they find it difficult to determine whether food-related information is true or false, highlighting the challenge of navigating an increasingly crowded information environment.  Against this backdrop, farmers remain Canadians’ most trusted stakeholders in the food system, with trust in them up five percentage points from last year.

“Providing more information isn’t enough on its own,” said Ashley Bruner, Director of Research and Stakeholder Engagement at CCFI. “The challenge is making credible information easier for Canadians to recognize, understand, and verify, and ensuring the people and organizations providing it have earned their trust.”

Artificial intelligence is emerging as another test of that trust. Daily use of AI tools for food-related information rose directionally, from 10% to 12%, while comfort with AI declined significantly across every area measured.  The findings suggest that adoption of new technologies may be outpacing public comfort with how they’re being used.

Taken together, the 2026 findings point to a public trust environment that’s becoming more complex and discerning. Canadians remain broadly positive about the food system, but affordability, uncertainty, information quality, and emerging technologies are placing new pressures on that trust.

“A strong and resilient food system depends on public trust,” said Bishop-Spencer. “The opportunity is to understand what’s underneath these shifts. That means paying attention not only to what Canadians think, but to what’s shaping those views, where uncertainty is emerging, and what organizations across the food system can do to strengthen confidence over time.”

The full 2026 CCFI Public Trust Research explores these findings in greater depth, including affordability and value, trust and credibility, misinformation and transparency, Canadian food and resilience, and emerging technologies.

The 2026 CCFI Public Trust Research is available at https://www.foodintegrity.ca/research/

Hapman, a global leader in custom built bulk material handling equipment, will exhibit at PACK EXPO 2026, taking place October 18–21, 2026, in Chicago, Illinois. Attendees are invited to visit Hapman at Booth LU-7258 to explore the Bulk Bag Filler, Helix® Flexible Screw Conveyor, Bulk Bag Unloader, and CablePro™ Tubular Drag Conveyor.

Expanding its conveying lineup, Hapman will unveil a new conveying solution at PACK EXPO developed for applications where cleanability, product integrity and simplified maintenance are critical. The new system will provide food and pharmaceutical manufacturers with another option for demanding material handling applications

The CablePro™ Tubular Drag Conveyor is designed for the gentle, clean, and efficient transport of delicate products, including cereals, grains, nuts, frozen foods, pet food, and other bulk materials. Featuring FDA-approved components and polished stainless steel tubing, CablePro™ helps maintain product integrity while supporting the stringent sanitation requirements of food and beverage operations. Its self-lubricating UHMW disks are injection-molded directly onto a pre-stretched, food-grade stainless steel braided cable with a nylon coating, providing long-lasting durability and consistent performance.

Also featured at the booth, the Helix® Flexible Screw Conveyor with the HiLo option and integral dust collection is a versatile material handling solution for bulk material transport, batching, and blending. The conveyor accommodates powders, granules, crystals, flakes, and pellets, using a helical screw that rotates inside a fixed tube to efficiently convey materials from point A to point B.

Hapman’s Bulk Bag Unloader is engineered to support efficient, safe, and reliable bulk material handling. The unit accommodates a range of bag sizes through adjustable frames and lifting mechanisms. Integrated dust collection and sealed discharge systems help maintain a cleaner work environment, while powered flow aids promote smooth discharge for materials prone to bridging, clumping, or sticking. Automated controls support consistent flow rates and accuracy, and the unit’s modular design allows it to integrate into existing operations.

Building on more than 80 years of excellence in bulk material handling, Hapman continues to develop conveying solutions around the changing needs of modern processing operations. Attendees are invited to visit Booth LU-7258 at PACK EXPO International 2026 to explore Hapman’s latest solutions and discuss their specific ingredient handling, sanitation, and process automation challenges with the Hapman team.