AI-enabled X-ray imaging system for primal in carton and label verification delivers accuracy and savings for processors

The Australian Meat Processor Corporation (AMPC) has invested in a research project led by Nolan Meats, Foss Pacific and System Integration Automation (SIA), which has successfully developed and trialled an artificial intelligence (AI) enabled X-ray imaging system for primal in carton and label verification. 

This system has significantly improved primal in carton and label verification, reduced errors, and delivered strong financial and customer benefits.

The technology builds upon existing MeatMaster™ systems, which are widely used in the industry for detecting lean meat yield and contamination. By adding an AI overlay, the system re-analyses X-ray images and metadata to confirm that carton contents match the label.

During in-plant trials at Nolan Meats, the AI system was trained on the 10 most common primal cut SKUs using real production data. Once validated, the system was deployed in production, achieving 99 per cent correct product identification. 

AMPC Program Manager Advanced Manufacturing Stuart Shaw said, “This project is a great example of how innovation and collaboration can deliver immediate and measurable value to Australian red meat processors.” 

“By leveraging existing infrastructure in processing plants, installing this AI overlay will lower installation costs for new equipment, enhance customer confidence by guaranteeing order accuracy, and offer substantial savings for processors through fewer claims and rework.

“If your processing plant is already using a MeatMaster™ system, you can generate savings of over $200,000 with a payback period of less than three months.”

SIA Director Sebastian Schundau said, “Customer satisfaction is critical to industry growth. This technology ensures processors can deliver the right product, every time.”

Foss Pacific Industry Sales Manager David Cannon said, “This technology has now been commercialised and is available to processors across the industry. We look forward to showcasing it at the AMPC Innovation Showcase in September.” 

Nolan Meats Innovation Manager Robert George said, “Nolan Meats were impressed by how easy it was to install, train and implement the AI overlay. Once it was trialled in production, we saw immediate improvements in carton label verification. 

“A key advantage of the system is that it gives instant feedback to the operators that there is a potential risk that the carton has been identified incorrectly. This, in turn, allows them to correct a potential error before the customer ever sees the mistake. This improves our SIFOTTS score and builds customer trust in our brand.”

Stuart said, “While the initial focus was on the MeatMaster™ system, this solution has the potential for adaptation to other platforms. It can also be expanded beyond the original 10 SKUs to include more primals, cuts, and offal. 

For more information about this research, visit the AMPC website at: https://www.ampc.com.au/research-development/advanced-manufacturing/automated-ai-x-ray-enabled-primalboxlabel-evaluation/  or contact AMPC Program Manager Advanced Manufacturing, Stuart Shaw at s.shaw@ampc.com.au. 

To see the AI system in action at the AMPC Innovation Showcase, register to attend at the AMPC website: https://www.ampc.com.au/news-events/events/ampc-innovation-showcase-2025/