An inspection belt is a slow-moving conveyor that presents product to trained operators who manually remove defective pieces, foreign matter and plant debris before freezing, drying or packing.
In trade practice
Belt speed, lighting intensity and the number of operators per metre of belt are controlled parameters that processors set according to product type and throughput. Slower speeds and stronger lighting are used for small berries where defects are harder to spot. A common failure mode is running the belt too fast during high-volume periods, which increases the risk of defects passing through undetected. Inspection belt performance is typically validated during supplier audits by checking the defect rate in finished product against the specification.
In a specification
A supplier quality agreement may specify minimum lighting levels, maximum belt speed and minimum staffing ratios for inspection belt operation, with records retained for each production batch.