Transcript Customer Complaint Class Notes

Ohio FFA Food Science
CDE
Food Quality
• Food Quality-Refers to the color, flavor
texture, And nutritional value of a food.
• When Quality is compromised a food may:
loose/change color, have less flavor,
change in texture, and/or nutritional value
may decline.
• Anything that causes the food to lose its
appeal would be considered a “ food
quality concern.”
Food Safety
• Food safety refers to the possibility that an
illness or injury may be cause by
consuming a food.
• Anything in a food that would cause this
would be considered a food safety
concern.
Three Categories of Food
Contamination
Contaminant: Is anything that can get into
food that is not supposed to be there.
• Biological
• Chemical
• Physical
Biological
• Biological Contaminants include bacterial,
fungal, viral, and parasitic organisms and
their toxins.
Biological (Continued)
• Spoilage Bacteria: Bacteria that cause changes
to the taste, texture, and/or odor of a food. They
will not likely pose a risk of making someone
sick.
• Pathogenic Bacteria: Bacteria that will lead to
food-borne illnesses. A few of the common
bacteria in this class are E.coli, Listeria,
Salmonella, Clostridium botulinum, and
Staphylococcus aureus
Chemical
• Naturally Occurring- Proteins associated with
Allergens. Major allergens, which account for
90% of all food allergic reactions, are milk, egg,
fish, crustacean shellfish, tree nuts, wheat,
peanuts, and soybeans.
• Added- Pesticides, fertilizers, antibiotics, plant
chemicals (cleaners, lubricants, sanitizers,
adhesives, inks), and food additives (when they
exceed legal levels)
Physical
• Items that become part of the food from the
natural environment or contaminated during
processing/packaging. Common types of
physical contaminants include metal, glass,
plastic, wood, jewelry, insect parts, dirt, stones,
hair, seeds, etc.
• A physical contaminant is a food safety hazard
when is has the potential to cause injury to a
consumer. Examples include choking, cut
mouth, broken tooth.
November 1, 2002
George Clinton
Quality Assurance Manager
Buckeye Foods, Inc.
600 Brutus Avenue
Horseshoe, OH 94837
Dear Mr. Clinton:
I am writing to inform you of a problem I found with one of your products. I recently purchased a bag
of your Cook-n-Serve Chicken Stir-Fry (product code: 04/02-5439). I regret to say that I will
probably not be purchasing your product in the future.
I typically enjoy your product, but the last time I had it, I ended up looking like a puffer fish on a bad
day. I couldn’t figure out what had made that happen, and I couldn’t be certain that it was
because I ate your product or something else. I hadn’t made the connection to your product until I
opened up another package of your product. This time when I poured the product into the skillet I
noticed a piece of shrimp in the product. For some people this might be an added treat in their
bag, like a good prize in a box of Cracker Jacks, but not for me. I am allergic to shellfish! I tried
reading your label to see if I had missed shrimp or any warning of possible contamination of it, but
there is no indication on your product label that there could be shellfish in your product. Luckily I
didn’t eat the shrimp or you would have more than an unhappy customer on your hands. I will not
be purchasing your product in the future, but changes need to be made to assure this doesn’t
happen to another unsuspecting customer. I know I am not the only person that has problems
eating shellfish. I appreciate you looking into the situation.
Sincerely,
Laura Lewinski
182 Johnstone Drive
Tallahassee, FL 51306