Seven years ago, Heineken recalled about 17m bottles of its Netherlands-brewed Export beer because of contamination by glass particles. Compared with the disaster at Perrier three years earlier, when traces of benzene were found in the French mineral water, this was a minor incident. But the Dutch company was determined to ensure there could be no repeat. Glass contamination is a sensitive subject in the brewing industry and potentially damaging for a brand or its owner.
Tiny particles can get in at various stages of the cleaning, capping and filling process.
Often, mishaps are spotted before any bottles can leave the brewery. In the Heineken incident, the problem was traced to the glass supplier. Inspections were stepped up there, along with routine checks at Heineken, which sought ways to discover glass contamination automatically. Berco Landman, Heineken's senior partner for packaging research and development, was asked to investigate potential solutions. So Heineken turned to the UK's PA Consulting Group, which looked at such solutions as X-rays, gamma rays, nuclear magnetic resonance and ultrasonic techniques.