Britain's largest food producer was fined nearly 17000 by Oxford Crown Court, for manufacturing a loaf of bread that was found to contain a dead mouse inside. The mouse was found by Stephen Forse, while making lunch for his children and their visiting friends. Mr. Force initially thought the darkened corner of the bread to be unmixed dough, but on closer inspection, discovered it was covered in fur. Some of the bread at the top of the loaf had already been eaten the previous day; however the mouse was detected before the lower half, containing the mouse had been handled. Mr. Force contacted the local council, who sent environmental health officers to visit the family's home and inspect the bread.

They confirmed the contamination was indeed a rodent and noted that it was missing its tail. This was not found in any of the breads packaging or remaining contents, leaving it unclear as to whether this had been eaten or fallen off before the loaf was packed. The loaf of bread was sliced - and it appeared that the body of the mouse too had been sliced in line with the cuts of the loaf, implying that the contamination possibly occurred during the manufacturing process. Premier Foods, who manufactured the bread, produce and deliver a significant proportion of British groceries, with the majority of their production in branded sales. In 2011, 99% of UK households bought at least one of their products, with each home spending an average of 70 per year on Premier goods.

The company pleaded guilty to:

• Failing to ensure all stages of food production were protected against contamination and
• Failing to maintain a robust pest management system at its British Bakeries site in Mitcham, London.

A spokesperson for Premier Foods said: "We apologize profusely for the distress caused as a result of this isolated incident. As soon as this complaint was made we stopped all bakery production at that site and appointed an independent specialist contractor to conduct a thorough investigation. The confirmed this to be an isolated incident, affecting a single product. There was no history of any similar issues. The spokesperson added that the council had agreed "the bakery was well-managed site and that Premier Foods tool its obligation fot health and hygiene seriously."

QUESTIONS: [ESSAY]

1. What could be the consequences of poor quality bread loaves? How serious is this situation?

2. How could implementing total quality management help an organization like Premier Foods?