NS305 Unit 9 Garlic Spread Recall Example

Course	NS305 Food Safety
Unit	Unit 9
Paper type	Recall communication
Length	About 920 words, 6 pages double-spaced
Format	APA 7 student paper
School	Purdue University Global
Program	BS in Nutrition Science
Updated	October 2026

Free sample paper for NS305 Unit 9

One Lot at pH 4.9: A Unit 9 Recall Communication Package for a Refrigerated Roasted Garlic Spread

[Student Name]

Purdue University Global

NS305: Food Safety

Unit 9 Recall Communication

[Instructor Name]

[Date]

Prairie Hearth Foods, its product, lot codes and contacts are composite; the botulism review, garlic outbreak investigation and federal regulations cited are real.

What this part is doingStating the pH failure and the five documents in the lead shows the package was built around one fact and one action.

The Fact Sheet Behind Every Document

Every document below is written from this sheet, so lot codes, dates and instructions cannot drift between versions.

1. Company: Prairie Hearth Foods, Indianapolis, Indiana.

2. Product: Prairie Hearth Roasted Garlic Spread, 8-ounce glass jar, refrigerated.

3. UPC: 8 12345 00921 4. Lot code: 24-118. Best-by date: August 15.

4. Problem: the lot's final pH was 4.9; the company's process requires 4.6 or below.

5. Hazard: possible growth of Clostridium botulinum, which can produce a toxin that causes botulism.

6. Distribution: 1,140 jars to 38 grocery and specialty stores in Indiana, Illinois and Ohio.

7. Illnesses: none reported to date.

8. Action: do not eat; throw the jar away or return it for a refund.

9. Contact: 1-800-555-0148, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Eastern, seven days a week.

Federal rules require acidified foods to reach an equilibrium pH of 4.6 or below, because Clostridium botulinum spores cannot germinate and produce toxin under those conditions (Acidified Foods, 2024). Garlic held in oil without enough acid has caused botulism before: a Vancouver restaurant's chopped garlic in oil caused 36 cases that went unrecognized for weeks (St. Louis et al., 1988).

Consumer Press Release

Prairie Hearth Foods Recalls One Lot of Roasted Garlic Spread Because of Possible Botulism Risk

Indianapolis, Indiana. Prairie Hearth Foods is voluntarily recalling one lot of Prairie Hearth Roasted Garlic Spread, 8-ounce jars, lot code 24-118, best by August 15, because the product may allow the growth of Clostridium botulinum. Consumers should not eat this product. Throw it away in a sealed bag, or return it to the store for a full refund.

The recalled jars were sold in grocery and specialty stores in Indiana, Illinois and Ohio. The lot code and best-by date are printed on the lid. No other lots or Prairie Hearth products are affected.

The problem was found during a company review of production records, which showed this lot was not acidified enough. No illnesses have been reported.

Botulism is a rare but serious illness. Symptoms may include double vision, drooping eyelids, slurred speech, difficulty swallowing and muscle weakness that moves down the body, and they usually begin 12 to 72 hours after eating contaminated food (Sobel, 2005). Anyone with these symptoms after eating the product should get medical care right away.

Questions: call 1-800-555-0148, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Eastern, every day. This recall is being made with the knowledge of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

The action a reader must take, do not eat it and throw it away or return it, appears in the release's first paragraph, because many people read only the headline and the opening lines.

What this part is doingThe highlighted sentence explains the release's structure, which is what the rubric's clarity criterion rewards.

Retailer Notice

To: Store managers and buyers. From: Prairie Hearth Foods, Quality Assurance. Subject: Recall, Roasted Garlic Spread, lot 24-118. Action required today.

1. Remove all jars of lot 24-118 from shelves and back stock immediately and place them in a marked area.

2. Count the jars and record the count on the attached form.

3. Post the attached consumer notice at the shelf and the store entrance for 30 days.

4. Refund any customer who returns a jar, with or without a receipt.

5. Return the completed form by fax or email within 48 hours; our driver will collect the jars.

Federal recall regulations expect the firm to check that its customers received and acted on a recall notice (Recalls, 21 C.F.R. pt. 7, 2024). We will call each store within three days to confirm.

Social Post

Recall: Prairie Hearth Roasted Garlic Spread, 8 oz, lot 24-118, best by Aug 15. Please do not eat it. Throw it away or return it for a refund. Lot code is on the lid. No illnesses reported. Questions: 1-800-555-0148. Details at our website.

Phone Script

Opening: "Thank you for calling Prairie Hearth Foods. Are you calling about the garlic spread recall?"

If the caller has the product: "Please check the lid for the lot code. If it says 24-118, please don't eat it. You can throw it away in a sealed bag or take it back to the store for a full refund."

If the caller has eaten it and feels well: "No illnesses have been reported so far, but please watch for double vision, drooping eyelids, slurred speech or trouble swallowing over the next few days. If any of those appear, get medical care right away and mention the product."

If the caller has symptoms now: "Please call 911 or go to an emergency room now and tell them you may have eaten a product recalled for botulism risk. Can I take your name and number so our safety team can follow up?" Record and escalate at once.

If the caller asks why: "One batch did not have enough acid added. Acid is what keeps botulism bacteria from growing in this kind of product."

Tone Held Steady

All five documents use the same calm tone. They do not say "deadly," and they do not say the product is safe. They state the fact, the risk and the action. A recall written in alarm drives calls from people who never bought the product; one written too softly is ignored by people who did.

What this part is doingNaming both ways a recall's tone can fail shows the writer chose the tone deliberately.

References

Acidified Foods, 21 C.F.R. pt. 114 (2024).

Recalls, 21 C.F.R. pt. 7, subpt. C (2024).

Sobel, J. (2005). Botulism. Clinical Infectious Diseases, 41(8), 1167-1173. https://doi.org/10.1086/444507

St. Louis, M. E., Peck, S. H., Bowering, D., Morgan, G. B., Blatherwick, J., Banerjee, S., Kettyls, G. D., Black, W. A., Milling, M. E., Hauschild, A. H., Tauxe, R. V., & Blake, P. A. (1988). Botulism from chopped garlic: Delayed recognition of a major outbreak. Annals of Internal Medicine, 108(3), 363-368. https://doi.org/10.7326/0003-4819-108-3-363

The Purdue Global NS305 Unit 9 instructions

The Unit 9 assignment asks students to write communications for a food recall, usually from a scenario. Prompts often call for a press release and one or more other pieces, such as a retailer notice, social media post or call script. Start from a single fact sheet so every document carries the same details. Put the action a reader must take in the first paragraph. Name the product, size, lot code and dates exactly. Describe the hazard and symptoms without alarm or false comfort. State how many illnesses have been reported, including none. Adapt each document to its reader, from consumers to store managers. Cite the regulation behind the problem. Expect three to five pages for the full package.

How the NS 305 Unit 9 example is put together

The fact sheet lists nine items, from the company and lot code to the action and phone line. Federal acidified food rules explain the 4.6 pH limit, and a Vancouver outbreak shows garlic in oil has caused botulism before. The press release headline names the company, product and hazard, and the first paragraph tells readers not to eat it. Symptoms are listed with their usual onset from a botulism review. The highlighted sentence explains why the action comes first. The retailer notice gives five numbered steps and a 48-hour return deadline. The social post fits the essentials into a few lines. The phone script covers four kinds of caller. A short section on tone closes the package.

Where the points sit in the NS305 Unit 9 rubric

Recall communications are usually graded on accuracy, clarity and whether each document fits its audience. Consistent product details across documents earn credit, and mismatched lot codes lose it quickly. Points go to placing the action early and stating it plainly. Hazard information should be accurate without causing panic. Adapting tone and detail to consumers, retailers and callers is often weighted heavily. Citing the relevant regulation shows understanding of the cause. Format, grammar and citations are also assessed. Packages that bury the action under background usually score lower. A phone script that covers callers with symptoms is often credited. Matching the call script to the press release word for word on lot codes is a detail graders notice.

Common NS305 Unit 9 mistakes, and how to avoid them

Recall packages often bury the instruction to stop eating the product below paragraphs of background. Another weakness is lot codes or dates that differ between documents. Some releases use alarming language, while others downplay the risk. Retailer notices are often written like press releases instead of action lists. Social posts tend to be too long. Call scripts are skipped or cover only easy questions. The technical cause is sometimes left unexplained. If you have the scenario but are unsure where to start, write the fact sheet first and build every document from it. A writer can prepare the package from that sheet.

Get an NS305 Unit 9 example written to your instructions

Recall scenarios range from undeclared allergens to Listeria to metal fragments. Pass along the product, hazard and audience details from the NS305 Unit 9 prompt, plus any required format and the rubric. Every version in the free first custom sample is written from a single fact sheet, so the documents cannot contradict one another; expect it within 24-48 hours. The paper above is an original model document written by our desk, not a submitted student paper and not an official Purdue University Global document.

More NS305 papers and BS in Nutrition Science samples

NS305 Unit 9 questions, answered

Who decides the recall class?

The FDA assigns the classification after reviewing the health hazard, while the company initiates a voluntary recall and communicates it. Class I covers products with a reasonable probability of serious harm or death, which is where a botulism risk falls. The example avoids stating a class the agency has not yet assigned and says instead that classification is pending.

Should the notice say whether anyone has become ill?

Yes. Readers use that line to judge urgency, and leaving it out invites guesses. State the number of illnesses reported to date, including zero, and avoid implying that no reports means no risk. The example's release says no illnesses have been reported and then explains why the product is being recalled anyway.

How formal should a recall communication be?

Plain and direct, not legalistic. Consumers need to recognize the product and know what to do, so short sentences, common words and a clear action outrank corporate phrasing. The retailer notice can be more technical, since store staff work from codes. Many sections grade readability explicitly, and some ask for a reading level check on the consumer version.

Where can I find a free NS305 Unit 9 sample paper?

This page has a complete Unit 9 recall package for a garlic spread with a pH failure, including a fact sheet, press release, retailer notice, social post and phone script.

Why does pH 4.6 matter for acidified foods?

At an equilibrium pH of 4.6 or below, Clostridium botulinum spores cannot germinate and produce toxin. Federal rules require acidified foods to reach that level.