Ohio FFA Food Science CDE Food Quality Food

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