Unit 3. Food quality / Качество продуктов питания
1. Master words and word combinations:
Taste – вкус, пробовать,
Health – здоровье
Convenience – удобство
Labeling – ярлыки, маркировка
Packaging – упаковка
Environmental friendliness – не вредящий окружающей среде
Innovation - инновация
2. Read and translate the following text into Russian.
Food quality is the quality characteristics of food that is acceptable to consumers. This includes external factors as appearance (size, shape, colour, gloss, and consistency), texture, and flavour; factors such as federal grade standards (e.g. of eggs) and internal (chemical, physical, microbial).
Food quality in the United States is enforced by the Food Safety Act 1990. Members of the public complain to trading standards professionals, who submit complaint samples and also samples used to routinely monitor the food marketplace to public analysts. Public analysts carry out scientific analysis on the samples to determine whether the quality is of sufficient standard.
Food quality is an important food manufacturing requirement, because food consumers are susceptible to any form of contamination that may occur during the manufacturing process. Many consumers also rely on manufacturing and processing standards, particularly to know what ingredients are present, due to dietary, nutritional requirements (kosher, halal, vegetarian), or medical conditions (e.g., diabetes, or allergies).
Besides ingredient quality, there are also sanitation requirements. It is important to ensure that the food processing environment is as clean as possible in order to produce the safest possible food for the consumer. A recent example of poor sanitation recently has been the 2006 North American E. coli outbreak involving spinach, an outbreak that is still under investigation after new information has come to light regarding the involvement of Cambodian nationals.
Food quality also deals with product traceability, (e.g., of ingredient, and packaging suppliers), should a recall of the product be required. It also deals with labeling issues to ensure there is correct ingredient and nutritional information.
There are many existing international quality institutes testing food products in order to indicate to all consumers which are higher quality products. Founded in 1961 in Brussels, The international quality institute Monde Selection is the oldest one in evaluating food quality. During the degustations, the products must meet the following selection criteria, required by the Institute: sensory analysis, bacteriological and chemical analysis, the nutrition and health claims, and the utilisation notice. In short, the judgements are based on the following areas: taste, health, convenience, labelling, packaging, environmental friendliness and innovation. As many consumers rely on manufacturing and processing standards, the Institute Monde Selection takes into account the European Food Law.
3. Write out the definition of «Food quality». Think of the main standard points for healthy food, safe food, junk food.
4. Read the text borrowed from the blog, suggest a question that was put beforehand.
“…Food needs to be safe before it can be considered to be a quality food. It can be safe but not a quality food. Safety is an integral component of food quality. Food safety involves ensuring a food that does not make most people ill. Usually ensuring a food is safe involves protecting a food from chemical, biological and physical contamination, or ensuring that any product harmful to the consumer such as a naturally occurring toxin that is normally destroyed during heating is actually destroyed. Pasteurised milk is not sterile; it can still contain viable micro-organisms at levels that would be harmless to most people. Food quality involves making sure the food is safe as well as making sure the product is attractive to the purchaser. A product may have an off flavour, unattractive mouthfeel or colour but be perfectly safe. A quality product, while needing to be safe, must meet other, often subjective, requirements. For example, pasteurised milk, while being safe, may have been cooked ...”
5. Work in small groups. You are going to give “Golden folk” for your favorite restaurant. Discuss the categories that you want to give awards in and agree on nominations. They can have unusual categories, e.g. the smallest table, best / worst chef’s meal. Report back to the group.