Hook assembly for a conveyor belt

A modular conveyor belt formed of a polymer-based material comprising:

• a plurality of plastic links interleaved and secured together by laterally disposed hinge pins, the plurality of plastic links forming a conveying surface;
• a hook assembly having a stainless steel link interleaved with a plastic link from the plurality of plastic links secured together by a hinge pin of said laterally disposed hinge pins to form a portion of the conveying surface, the stainless steel link having a recess in the conveying surface, an aperture disposed in the recess and a slot adjacent the aperture opening into the recess, the slot having a reinforced segment, a hook having a shaft slidable in the slot, a sharpened end of the hook disposed on a conveying side of the stainless steel link, and a translational member carried by the shaft and engagable with a track on a conveyor assembly such that the interaction between the track and the translational member results in movement of the hook between a lowered position in which the hook is positioned within the recess and a raised position in which the hook is disposed above the conveying surface.