Food Quality Assurance and Control Practice Flashcards

A complete set of vocabulary flashcards covering food industry quality standards, management tools (7 planning tools & QC tools), ISO requirements, and dimensions of quality.

General rule for sampling frequency

If a quality variable normally remains within acceptable limits for a period of $P$ units, the frequency of sampling should be no longer than $P$ units.

Minor defects

Defects that have unimportant effects on the function or the shelf life of the products, such as scuffed labels.

Major defects

Defects which are likely to have important adverse effects on the appearance or function of the product, such as dented cans.

Critical defects

The most serious types of defects which can endanger the health of consumers (e.g., presence of toxic chemicals or pathogens) or are certain to cause failure of the products.

Sampling

A simple procedure to discover defects in products or production processes used to draw inferences about the parent population.

Control charts

A graph of a process characteristic plotted in sequence, including calculated process means and statistical control limits.

Flowchart

A direct pictorial representation of processing procedures using engineering symbols, pictures, or block programs to indicate main process steps.

Scatter diagram

A collection of sets of data which attempt to relate a potential cause ($X$-axis) with an effect ($Y$-axis).

Histogram

A diagram of the frequency distributions of a set of data observed in a process.

Cause and effect diagram

A pictorial representation of the main inputs to a process.

Pareto chart

A bar chart illustrating causes of defects arranged in decreasing order and superimposed with a line indicating cumulative percentages.

Check sheet

A data sheet used to display how often specific problems occur.

Quality Control (QC) - ISO 8402

The operational techniques and activities used to fulfill requirements for quality; a tactical function that carries out programs established by QA.

Activity network diagram

A tool used in project management for identifying a project's critical path to determine expected completion time.

Process decision program chart

A tool used to identify the consequential impact of failure on activity plans and create appropriate contingency plans to limit risks.

Matrix diagram

A tool used to identify the presence and strengths of relationships between two or more lists of items.

Prioritization matrices

A tool used to identify which problems are the most important to work on first.

Tree diagram

A tool used to display all the possible outcomes of an event.

Interrelationship diagram

A tool used to show cause-and-effect relationships and help analyze natural links between different aspects of a complex situation.

Affinity diagram

A tool that gathers large amounts of language data (ideas, opinions, issues) and organizes them into groups based on natural relationships.

Quality at the source

The empowerment of workers as individuals where every worker becomes a QC station to inspect their own work and identify defects.

Steering committee

A voluntary group of workers sharing areas of responsibility.

Task distribution chart

A detailed list of all the job tasks for each position.

Organization chart

A clear outline of job responsibilities detailing administrative infrastructure and who oversees which positions.

Plan - Do - Check - Act Cycle

The core requirement for a quality management system (QMS) under ISO 9001, focused on by W. Edwards Demmings.

ISO 9000 series

A set of Quality System Management Standards that serve as a basis for TQM implementation.

Total Quality Management (TQM)

A quality philosophy and theory of management from the 1980s based on the principles of quality assurance.

The M's of a modern food plant

Management, Managers, Materials, Machines, Manpower (85 ext{%} of system faults), Methods, and Money.

Doctrine of "total accountability" (1975)

Expanded liability doctrine (established via John Park) stating a CEO can be held accountable for consumer safety and QA/QC program problems.

Doctrine of "strict" liability (1943)

States that the president of a food company can be found guilty of a violation of the FD&C Act even without personal involvement in the transgression.

Quality Assurance (QA)

An overall management plan and advisory function used to guarantee the quality and safety of products through control, evaluation, and audits.

Objective methods

Quality determination based on physical (weight), chemical (pH), microscopy (bacteria presence), or somatic cell count (Grade A milk) methods.

Subjective methods

Quality determination based on the opinions of individual evaluators, including physiological reactions and personal preferences.

Consumer or grade standards

Standards representing consumer requirements based on past experience, such as USDA steak grades.

Industry standards

Quality limits for a given commodity established by an organized group where legal standards are not involved.

Company or voluntary label standards

Standards established by industry segments that represent the consumer image of a product and may become a trademark.

Legal standards

Mandatory standards set by law or regulation concerning adulterations, chemical/physical hazards, and maximum limits of additives.

Perceived Quality

A subjective dimension of quality attributed to a product based on indirect measurements, such as the cleanliness of a serving tray.

Aesthetics

A subjective dimension of quality indicating a user's reaction to the look, feel, and sound of a product.

Serviceability

The speed with which products can be put into service when they break down.

Durability

The shelf-life of a product.

Conformance

The precision with which a product meets specific regulatory or specific standards.

Reliability

The likelihood that a product will not fail within a specific period of time.

Features

Additional characteristics of a product that enhance its appeal to users, such as two-day shipping.

Performance

The primary measurable operating characteristics of a product or service, such as live bacteria in dietary supplements.

Value-based quality

The degree of excellence at an acceptable price and the control of variability at an acceptable cost.

Manufacturing-based quality

Quality defined by how closely the manufacturing process conforms to specified product characteristics.

User-based quality

Quality determined by the user's "fitness for use," such as the choice of microwaveable dinners.

Product-based quality

Quality based on specific features or attributes that enhance a product, such as Organic vs. conventional status.