BST Detectable Products
Who are BST and what do we do?
BST are the original pioneers of metal detectable plastics for the food industry. We were first established in 1985 by Brian S Teasdale, a former senior engineer at British Bakeries. Brian was the first engineer to address plastic contamination of food in this way, it’s with great pride that his initials are still represented by the ‘BST’ brand that’s well known and respected in the food industry.
BST are most well-known for the BST DetectaPen. This metal detectable, x-ray visible and antibacterial pen can be found in most food processing environments, preventing foreign body contamination without fuss every day of the year.
Today the company is led by John S Teasdale, who has relentlessly driven the growth of the company since taking over from his father in 2002. Today BST stock over 300 different food safe detectable products, have a team of 21 staff and export to an overseas distribution network covering over 30 countries. We hand assemble over 1.6 million BST DetectaPens a year (and still increasing!) at our HQ in Doncaster, South Yorkshire.
BST’s core strengths are our commitment to high quality products and materials, as well as our bespoke manufacturing capabilities. Our primary material, BST XDETECT® has benefited from years of refinement making it one of the most durable, colourful and shatter resistant food safe detectable plastics available on the market.
How do detectable products work and why use them?
Detectable products can take two main forms, the first being a product entirely made from a specially developed detectable material. In the case of BST XDETECT®, this is a polypropylene-copolymer infused with ferrous and high density additives. The ferrous additive is designed to disrupt the magnetic field of a metal detector, whilst the high density additive is designed to show clearly on an x-ray image. The plastic is compounded to a precise formulation, with exactly the right ratios of each additive resulting in a plastic that’s metal detectable and x-ray visible whilst retaining the mechanical performance of the polypropylene-copolymer. This mechanical performance is an essential but often overlooked element, as if the finished detectable product doesn’t break in the first place, it’s far less likely to end up contaminating the food in production.
This precisely compounded plastic is moulded by BST into a wide range of detectable products, including pens, scrapers, clipboards, boxes, jugs and numerous bespoke parts as required by our food processing clientele. Food processors have peace of mind that their plastic food processing items are safe, display due diligence in preventing contamination and are in compliance with HACCP and BRC procedures.
The second form of detectable product is a standard food processing item that’s modified to give it detectable properties. Examples include hairnets with metal grips, mob caps with foil strips, and paper traceability tags with a metal foil core.
Why choose BST?
Most importantly, we care. As the original developers of detectable products and materials, we do not like to see low quality or dangerous products on the market place. As such we undertake huge research and testing with every new product development to ensure that it is fit for purpose.
We work closely with leading metal detector and x-ray system manufacturers to test our products performance, document the results, advise our clients and also find ways to improve our materials. As a small and family owned company, we pride ourselves on integrity, sustainability and excellence in everything we endeavour to achieve.
To learn more about BST Detectable Products call us on +44(0)1302 775208 or email sales@bst-detectable.com or for futher information please visit www.bst-detectable.com