Glossary
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Queen Bee
The queen bee is the single fertile female in a honey bee colony, responsible for egg-laying and pheromone production that…
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Quick-Frozen Directive
Quick-Frozen Directive 89/108/EEC is the EU framework instrument for quick-frozen foodstuffs, supplemented by Directives 92/1/EEC and 92/2/EEC, which set the…
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Quick-Frozen Foodstuff
Quick-frozen foodstuff is a legal category established under EU legislation for products frozen rapidly using appropriate techniques and maintained at…
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QUID Labelling
QUID labelling, meaning the quantitative indication of ingredients, is the requirement under Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011 to declare the percentage…
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Rainforest Alliance
Rainforest Alliance is a private certification scheme that verifies sustainable agricultural practices covering environmental protection, biodiversity conservation and social and…
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Rapid Alert System
The Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed (RASFF) is the EU’s notification network for direct and indirect risks to…
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Raw Honey
Raw honey is a market term for honey that has not been heated above hive temperatures and has not been…
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Recrystallisation
Recrystallisation is the growth of existing ice crystals during frozen storage, driven by temperature fluctuations, which damages cell structure, increases…
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Reefer Container
A reefer container is a refrigerated intermodal shipping container fitted with an integral cooling unit, used to maintain precise temperature…
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Reefer Genset
A reefer genset is a self-contained diesel generator unit attached to a reefer container to power its refrigeration system during…
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Refined Flour
Refined flour is flour produced by removing most of the bran and germ during milling, leaving predominantly the starchy endosperm,…
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Refrigerant
A refrigerant is the working fluid circulated within a refrigeration system that transfers heat by alternately evaporating and condensing, enabling…
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Refrigerated Transport
Refrigerated transport is the movement of temperature-sensitive food commodities in insulated vehicles, containers or rail wagons equipped with active cooling…
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Regenerative Agriculture
Regenerative agriculture is a set of farming practices designed to restore soil health, increase biodiversity and sequester carbon, including cover…
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Rejection Procedure
A rejection procedure is the contractual and operational process by which a buyer formally refuses a consignment that fails to…
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Renewable Energy
Renewable energy is energy derived from continuously replenished sources such as solar, wind, biomass and biogas, and its use in…
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Reorder Point
Reorder point is the inventory level at which a replenishment order must be placed so that new stock arrives before…
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Retention of Title
Retention of title is a contract clause under which ownership of goods remains with the seller until the buyer has…
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RFQ (Request for Quotation)
An RFQ, or Request for Quotation, is the buyer’s formal invitation to suppliers to quote price and conditions for a…
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Ripeness Grading
Ripeness grading is the assessment and separation of fruit by maturity stage, using firmness, soluble solids content and colour as…
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Roller Milling
Roller milling is the dominant industrial grain-milling process, using sequential pairs of corrugated and smooth steel rollers to break open…
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Root Vegetable Chips
Root vegetable chips are thin-sliced, fried, baked or vacuum-fried snack products made from vegetables such as beetroot, carrot or parsnip,…
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Royal Jelly
Royal jelly is the protein-rich glandular secretion produced by worker bees to feed larvae and the queen, harvested by grafting…
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Rules of Origin
Rules of origin are the criteria used to determine the economic nationality of goods, distinguishing non-preferential origin used for statistics…
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Safety Stock
Safety stock is the additional inventory held above expected demand to protect against supply or demand variability, such as transport…
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Salmonella
Salmonella is a genus of pathogenic bacteria responsible for a leading share of foodborne illness globally, subject to microbiological criteria…
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Salmonella Testing
Salmonella testing is a microbiological procedure that verifies the absence of Salmonella in a defined sample quantity, as required by…
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Scope 3 Emissions
Scope 3 emissions are the indirect greenhouse gas emissions occurring across a company’s value chain, including agricultural raw materials, transport…
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Scoville Heat Units
Scoville heat units are a measurement scale for the pungency of chilli and pepper products based on capsaicinoid concentration, now…
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Sea Freight
Sea freight is the transport of goods in containers aboard ocean vessels and is the dominant mode for intercontinental food…
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Secondary Packaging
Secondary packaging is the outer layer that groups primary packs together, such as a printed carton around retail bags or…
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Seed Selection
Seed selection is the process of choosing crop varieties and seed lots suited to the target market, climate and processing…
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Semolina
Semolina is the coarse, granular endosperm fraction separated during the milling of durum wheat or other cereals, and is the…
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Sensory Analysis
Sensory analysis is the structured evaluation of a food product’s appearance, colour, odour, flavour and texture using trained panels or…
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Shelf Life
Product shelf life is the period during which a food item retains its declared quality and safety characteristics when stored…
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Short Sea Shipping
Short sea shipping is the maritime transport of goods over relatively short distances within European or adjacent waters, offering an…
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Shrinkage
Shrinkage is the reduction in usable inventory caused by spoilage, damage, administrative error or theft, and in food warehousing it…
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Single-Strength Juice
Single-strength juice is juice at its natural soluble-solids content as present in the fruit, without concentration, and serves as the…
