Glossary
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Rainforest Alliance
Rainforest Alliance certification (which merged with the UTZ programme) covers sustainable agriculture, including environmental protection, biodiversity, and social and economic…
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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 beyond hive-like temperatures and has not been…
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Recrystallisation
Recrystallisation is the growth of ice crystals during frozen storage caused by temperature fluctuations: small crystals melt and re-freeze onto…
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Reefer Container
A reefer container is a refrigerated shipping container with an integral cooling unit, used for temperature-controlled sea and intermodal transport.…
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Reefer Genset
A reefer genset (generator set) is a portable or clip-on power unit that keeps a reefer container’s cooling machine running…
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Refined Flour
Refined flour is produced by removing most of the bran and germ, leaving mainly the starchy endosperm. It has a…
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Refrigerant
A refrigerant is the working fluid in a refrigeration system that absorbs and releases heat as it evaporates and condenses.…
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Refrigerated Transport
Refrigerated transport is the movement of temperature-sensitive goods in insulated vehicles or containers equipped with active cooling units, from reefer…
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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
The rejection procedure sets out how a buyer may refuse a consignment that fails to meet specification or legal requirements,…
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Renewable Energy
Renewable energy in food processing comes from sources such as solar, wind, biomass and biogas, replacing fossil fuels in drying,…
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Reorder Point
The reorder point is the stock level at which a replenishment order is triggered so that new goods arrive before…
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Retention of Title
A retention of title clause provides that ownership of goods passes to the buyer only upon full payment, even after…
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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 assesses maturity by firmness, soluble solids and colour. Underripe or overripe fruit is removed because it negatively affects…
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Roller Milling
Roller milling uses pairs of corrugated and smooth steel rollers to progressively break grain open and reduce the endosperm into…
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Root Vegetable Chips
Root vegetable chips are thin slices of beetroot, carrot, parsnip or sweet potato that are fried, baked or vacuum-fried into…
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Royal Jelly
Royal jelly is the protein-rich secretion fed by worker bees to larvae and to the queen, harvested by grafting larvae…
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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 to protect against variability in demand or supply, such as delayed transport or…
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Salmonella
Salmonella is a group of pathogenic bacteria and one of the most common causes of foodborne illness worldwide. It is…
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Salmonella Testing
Salmonella testing verifies the absence of Salmonella in defined sample quantities, as required by EU microbiological criteria for many foods.…
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Scope 3 Emissions
Scope 3 emissions are the indirect greenhouse gas emissions occurring in a company’s value chain, including purchased raw materials, transport…
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Scoville Heat Units
Scoville heat units measure the pungency of chillies and pepper products based on their capsaicinoid content, now determined by HPLC…
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Sea Freight
Sea freight is the transport of goods in containers by ocean vessels and the dominant mode for intercontinental food trade…
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Secondary Packaging
Secondary packaging groups primary packs together, typically a printed carton around retail bags or jars, providing protection, branding and shelf…
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Seed Selection
Seed selection chooses varieties and seed lots suited to the target market, climate and processing requirements, considering yield, disease resistance…
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Semolina
Semolina is the coarse, granular endosperm fraction produced during milling, most commonly from durum wheat. It is the traditional raw…
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Sensory Analysis
Sensory analysis evaluates a product’s appearance, colour, odour, flavour and texture using trained panels or structured scoring. For fruit, honey…
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Shelf Life
Shelf life is the period during which a product keeps its declared quality and safety characteristics when stored under specified…
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Short Sea Shipping
Short sea shipping is the maritime transport of goods over relatively short distances, such as within European waters. It is…
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Shrinkage
Shrinkage is the loss of inventory through damage, spoilage, administrative error or theft. In food warehousing it includes product rejected…
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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. It is the reference…
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Size Grading
Size grading separates fruit into uniform size classes by diameter or weight using roller graders, meshes or electronic weighers. Uniform…
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Sliced Fruit
Sliced fruit is fruit cut into uniform slices of specified thickness, typically 5–10 mm, then frozen IQF or dried. Slices…
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Slow Freezing
Slow freezing occurs when product temperature drops gradually, for example in an overloaded or underpowered cold store. Large ice crystals…
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SMETA
SMETA (Sedex Members Ethical Trade Audit) is a social and ethical audit methodology covering labour standards, health and safety, environment…
