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Food Science & Technology vocabulary · Quality Control and Analysis

Nonconformity

Meaning in food science & technology, with examples

/ˌnɑnkənˈfɔrməti/nounCommon term

In food science & technology, nonconformity means: A failure to meet a requirement, such as a specification, a procedure, a standard or the law, found in a product, a process or during an audit.

In Turkish: uygunsuzluk

How it is used

Used in ISO-based systems and audits. Auditors grade nonconformities as critical, major or minor. A nonconformity report (NCR) records what happened, the root cause and the corrective action. Nonconforming product must be identified and kept apart. Also written 'non-conformity'; 'nonconformance' is common in the US.

Example sentences

  1. The auditor raised a major nonconformity because the metal detector checks were not recorded.

  2. Every nonconformity found in the lab must be logged in the system within 24 hours.

Common collocations

  • major nonconformity
  • minor nonconformity
  • nonconformity report (NCR)
  • raise a nonconformity
  • close a nonconformity
  • corrective actionThe steps taken when something goes wrong, such as a missed critical limit or an audit finding, to deal with the affected product and stop the problem from happening again.
  • auditA planned, systematic check of a factory, its documents and its practices by an auditor to see whether they meet a standard, a customer's requirements or the law.
  • specificationA document that sets out the agreed requirements for a raw material, packaging or product, such as composition, chemical and microbiological limits, appearance and packing.
  • quality controlThe checks, measurements and tests carried out on raw materials, products in process and finished goods to make sure they meet the agreed specifications.

More terms: Quality Control and Analysis

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