Plastics/polymers are used extensively in and around food and pharmaceutical processing lines. Such processing lines typically employ detection systems (metal detectors and/or X-ray machines) as part of a HACCP system to prevent foreign body fragments from passing along the line and entering the consumer chain. 

Conventional unfilled plastics/polymers will not be detected by metal detection systems and, due to their low density, depending upon conditions, it is often extremely difficult for an X-ray system to differentiate them from food products and reliably detect them. 

X-ray & metal detectable plastics are designed to be far more responsive to metal detectors and/or X-ray machines and hence dramatically increase the chances of any foreign body fragments being detected and ‘contaminated’ products being rejected from the line.