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 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/ ). 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