Monday, 9 February saw Year 6 visit Jeronimo Martins (a wholesale food distribution company). We learnt about different types of quality control practises used on food products, ranging from meat products to fresh fruit and vegetable. It was a very interesting field trip that saw the children experience a number of quality control practises first-hand.
A very big THANK YOU to Mr Jose Silva Ferreira for organising our excursion and for offering his time to accompany us on the excursion. The excellent information, helpful staff and the very yummy lunch were very much appreciated by all SDIS students and staff.
Monday, February 9, 2009
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
Guided Reading (5 February, 2009)
This week's Guided Reading task article (the BBC report of 22 January, 2009) can be seen below.
The article discusses the fallout from the recent Chinese milk poisoning controversy. It is a very relevant article to our current unit, providing valuable discussion points about our third teacher question - why do we need quality control?
The article discusses the fallout from the recent Chinese milk poisoning controversy. It is a very relevant article to our current unit, providing valuable discussion points about our third teacher question - why do we need quality control?
Chinese Milk Scam Duo Face Death (BBC article, 22 Jan 09)
Two men have been given the death penalty for their involvement in China's contaminated milk scandal. The former boss of the Sanlu dairy at the centre of the scandal was given life imprisonment. They were among several sentences handed down by the court in northern China, where Sanlu is based.
The scandal, in which melamine was added to raw milk to make it appear higher in protein, led to the deaths of six babies and made some 300,000 ill. It led to product recalls across the globe, and further damaged China's reputation for producing safe and reliable products, the BBC's Quentin Sommerville in Beijing says.
At home, the scandal left parents terrified and caused outrage across the country, coming only four years after an earlier milk powder scandal which left 13 babies dead.
Victims' relatives protested outside the courthouse in Shijiazhuang on Thursday. Some said they had been prevented from attending the trial by authorities anxious to contain anger over the affair.
Illegal workshop
The most senior figure to be sentenced was Tian Wenhua, who was chairwoman of the Sanlu Group, the largest producer of baby milk powder.
When the scandal broke in September, it emerged that Sanlu had known it was selling toxic milk and allowed around 900 tonnes of it to leave its dairies. It was only when its New Zealand partner intervened that production stopped.
Tian Wenhua pleaded guilty to charges of producing and selling fake or substandard produce in December. The Intermediate People's Court in Shijiazhuang gave her a life sentence and ordered her to pay a fine of 20m yuan ($2.9m). Sanlu itself was fined 50m yuan ($7.3m), Xinhua news agency reports, even though the firm has been declared bankrupt.
Earlier the court sentenced cattle farmer Zhang Yujun and milk trader Geng Jinping to death.
Zhang Yujun was accused of running an illegal workshop in Shandong province in eastern China, producing 600 tonnes of the fake protein powder - the largest source of melamine in the country. Geng Jinping was convicted of producing and selling toxic products to dairy companies from his milk production base.
One other person received a suspended death sentence, two were jailed for life and six - including three former Sanlu executives - were jailed for between five and 15 years for their part in the scandal, Xinhua news agency reports.
Huge anger
All together, 22 companies sold contaminated milk, which had been supplied by a chain of melamine producers and middlemen.
The dealers added the industrial chemical to boost the apparent protein content of milk, which had often been watered down to make more money. Major dairy companies bought the milk from such dealers, failing to test the milk for purity and nutritional value. The result was widespread poisoning of babies, the group most vulnerable to tainted milk as it was their only food source.
Kidney damage was reported in hundreds of thousands of people. At least six babies were killed by it. The government has scrambled to fight off allegations that it reacted slowly to the crisis, by pledging to improve food safety standards and promising to bring the culprits of the scandal to court. But families of the victims say China's lack of openness, public accountability and official corruption mean they have little faith that similar poisonings will not happen again.
The scandal, in which melamine was added to raw milk to make it appear higher in protein, led to the deaths of six babies and made some 300,000 ill. It led to product recalls across the globe, and further damaged China's reputation for producing safe and reliable products, the BBC's Quentin Sommerville in Beijing says.
At home, the scandal left parents terrified and caused outrage across the country, coming only four years after an earlier milk powder scandal which left 13 babies dead.
Victims' relatives protested outside the courthouse in Shijiazhuang on Thursday. Some said they had been prevented from attending the trial by authorities anxious to contain anger over the affair.
Illegal workshop
The most senior figure to be sentenced was Tian Wenhua, who was chairwoman of the Sanlu Group, the largest producer of baby milk powder.
When the scandal broke in September, it emerged that Sanlu had known it was selling toxic milk and allowed around 900 tonnes of it to leave its dairies. It was only when its New Zealand partner intervened that production stopped.
Tian Wenhua pleaded guilty to charges of producing and selling fake or substandard produce in December. The Intermediate People's Court in Shijiazhuang gave her a life sentence and ordered her to pay a fine of 20m yuan ($2.9m). Sanlu itself was fined 50m yuan ($7.3m), Xinhua news agency reports, even though the firm has been declared bankrupt.
Earlier the court sentenced cattle farmer Zhang Yujun and milk trader Geng Jinping to death.
Zhang Yujun was accused of running an illegal workshop in Shandong province in eastern China, producing 600 tonnes of the fake protein powder - the largest source of melamine in the country. Geng Jinping was convicted of producing and selling toxic products to dairy companies from his milk production base.
One other person received a suspended death sentence, two were jailed for life and six - including three former Sanlu executives - were jailed for between five and 15 years for their part in the scandal, Xinhua news agency reports.
Huge anger
All together, 22 companies sold contaminated milk, which had been supplied by a chain of melamine producers and middlemen.
The dealers added the industrial chemical to boost the apparent protein content of milk, which had often been watered down to make more money. Major dairy companies bought the milk from such dealers, failing to test the milk for purity and nutritional value. The result was widespread poisoning of babies, the group most vulnerable to tainted milk as it was their only food source.
Kidney damage was reported in hundreds of thousands of people. At least six babies were killed by it. The government has scrambled to fight off allegations that it reacted slowly to the crisis, by pledging to improve food safety standards and promising to bring the culprits of the scandal to court. But families of the victims say China's lack of openness, public accountability and official corruption mean they have little faith that similar poisonings will not happen again.
Monday, January 26, 2009
Sunday, January 25, 2009
How Do Companies Test Products?
This week we are focusing on our second teacher question and how companies actually test their products. The article below gives some examples.
Quality Control and Product Testing
What is Quality Control?
Quality control covers all activities from the design, development and production of a product. Each step taken to produce a product, beginning with its materials, its assembly and through to the final product and all its parts are inspected and tested to make sure the product is of good quality. If during any one of these stages there is a problem with a product, the problem is identified and fixed. This is sometimes called the Plan-Do-Check-Act approach.
Examples of Quality Control Testing
Failure Testing
A valuable process to perform on a completed product is failure testing (also known as stress testing). This process involves testing the operation of a product until it fails, often under stresses such as increasing vibration, temperature and humidity. This kind of testing exposes many weaknesses in a product that were sometimes not expected. The data gathered in this kind of testing is used to drive manufacturing process improvements. Often quite simple changes can dramatically improve product service, such as changing to mold-resistant paint. Failure testing or destructive testing is also a valuable tool in designing buildings that are able to withstand earthquakes.
Statistical Testing
Many organizations use statistical testing to make sure that the likelihood of product failure is extremely remote. Statistical process testing usually involves randomly sampling and testing a fraction of the output. For example, if a company produces 5,000 toys in one day only a small fraction, eg. 20 in 5000, are tested for quality control. Even if only one of the 20 toys doesn’t work or breaks easily, it’s a sign that more of the 5,000 toys are defective. Once statistical testing shows a problem with a product, the problem is recorded and fixed.
Animal Testing
Animal testing / animal experimentation is the use of animals in scientific experimentation. Animal testing is used for many products. Everything from items in your home to products you use and medications you take have likely been tested on animals at some point prior to their sale. Some of the products that commonly involve animal testing include:
· cosmetics;
· drugs;
· food additives;
· household products;
· pesticides; and
· industrial chemicals.
Virtually every available medical treatment today has, to some degree, involved animal testing. The animals themselves may be bred specifically for testing or they may be captured in the wild. There are also businesses that sell animals specifically for use in animal testing. Animals are considered to be similar to humans and are therefore a good indicator of whether or not a product may be harmful to people.
Quality Control and Product Testing
What is Quality Control?
Quality control covers all activities from the design, development and production of a product. Each step taken to produce a product, beginning with its materials, its assembly and through to the final product and all its parts are inspected and tested to make sure the product is of good quality. If during any one of these stages there is a problem with a product, the problem is identified and fixed. This is sometimes called the Plan-Do-Check-Act approach.
Examples of Quality Control Testing
Failure Testing
A valuable process to perform on a completed product is failure testing (also known as stress testing). This process involves testing the operation of a product until it fails, often under stresses such as increasing vibration, temperature and humidity. This kind of testing exposes many weaknesses in a product that were sometimes not expected. The data gathered in this kind of testing is used to drive manufacturing process improvements. Often quite simple changes can dramatically improve product service, such as changing to mold-resistant paint. Failure testing or destructive testing is also a valuable tool in designing buildings that are able to withstand earthquakes.
Statistical Testing
Many organizations use statistical testing to make sure that the likelihood of product failure is extremely remote. Statistical process testing usually involves randomly sampling and testing a fraction of the output. For example, if a company produces 5,000 toys in one day only a small fraction, eg. 20 in 5000, are tested for quality control. Even if only one of the 20 toys doesn’t work or breaks easily, it’s a sign that more of the 5,000 toys are defective. Once statistical testing shows a problem with a product, the problem is recorded and fixed.
Animal Testing
Animal testing / animal experimentation is the use of animals in scientific experimentation. Animal testing is used for many products. Everything from items in your home to products you use and medications you take have likely been tested on animals at some point prior to their sale. Some of the products that commonly involve animal testing include:
· cosmetics;
· drugs;
· food additives;
· household products;
· pesticides; and
· industrial chemicals.
Virtually every available medical treatment today has, to some degree, involved animal testing. The animals themselves may be bred specifically for testing or they may be captured in the wild. There are also businesses that sell animals specifically for use in animal testing. Animals are considered to be similar to humans and are therefore a good indicator of whether or not a product may be harmful to people.
Wednesday, January 7, 2009
Unit Introduction
Welcome to our third unit of the year. It promises to be another interesting and hands-on unit with lots of testing and hypothesising throughout the unit! Now that we know what businesses and companies have to do to sell and market their products (courtesy of our last unite A World of Trade) we are in a good position to assess whether or not these products are as good as the companies would have us believe.
Our central idea to the unit is that modern day companies test drive everyday products before they are released to the general public. During the unit we will be inquiring into:
Our central idea to the unit is that modern day companies test drive everyday products before they are released to the general public. During the unit we will be inquiring into:
- the physical properties of everyday products
- the scientific process
- reasons for testing products
The teacher questions that will guide us throughout the inquiry are:
- What are products made of?
- How are products tested?
- Why do we need quality control?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)