Statistical Quality Control for the Food Industry

If an automobile tire leaks or an electric light switch fails, if we are short changed at a department store or erroneously billed for phone calls not made, if a plane departure is delayed due to a mechanical failure - these are rather ordinary annoyances which we have come to accept as normal occur rences. Contrast this with failure of a food product. If foreign matter is found in a food, if a product is discolored or crushed, if illness or discomfort occurs when a food product is eaten-the consumer reacts with anger, fear, and sometimes mass hysteria. The offending product is often returned to the seller, or a disgruntled letter is written to the manufacturer. In an extreme case, an expensive law suit may be filed against the company. The reaction is almost as severe if the failure is a difficult-to-open package or a leaking container. There is no tolerance for failure of food products. Dozens of books on quality written for hardware or service industries discuss failure rates, product reliability, serviceability, maintainability, warran ty, and repair. Manufacturers in the food industry cannot use these measure ments: food reliability must be 100%, failure rate 0%. Serviceability, main tainability, warranty, and repair are meaningless terms to food processors.