CAB Professional Ethics & Standards 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A customer asks an artisan baker to use a competitor's recipe without authorization. What is the ethical response?
- Comply if the competitor is not local
- Decline and explain intellectual property concerns (Correct answer)
- Modify the recipe slightly and proceed
- Ask the customer to sign a waiver
Correct answer: Decline and explain intellectual property concerns
Using a competitor's proprietary recipe without permission violates intellectual property rights and professional ethics.
Question 2: Which practice best demonstrates a baker's commitment to sustainable sourcing ethics?
- Buying the cheapest available flour regardless of origin
- Prioritizing local and certified organic ingredients when feasible (Correct answer)
- Importing exotic grains for novelty without vetting suppliers
- Using generic commercial labels to avoid ingredient disclosure
Correct answer: Prioritizing local and certified organic ingredients when feasible
Prioritizing local and certified organic ingredients reflects ethical sourcing that supports sustainability and transparency.
Question 3: A CAB-certified baker discovers a colleague is falsely claiming CAB credentials. The most ethical action is to:
- Ignore it since it does not affect their own business
- Report the misrepresentation to the certifying body (Correct answer)
- Confront the colleague publicly on social media
- Offer to help the colleague obtain real certification first
Correct answer: Report the misrepresentation to the certifying body
Reporting credential misrepresentation to the certifying body protects the integrity of the CAB designation.
Question 4: When a baker's product causes an allergic reaction due to undisclosed ingredients, which principle was violated?
- Brand loyalty
- Full disclosure and transparency (Correct answer)
- Competitive pricing
- Waste reduction
Correct answer: Full disclosure and transparency
Full disclosure of allergens is a fundamental ethical and legal obligation for food professionals.
Question 5: An artisan baker is offered a large discount for using a supplier who employs child labor. The ethical choice is to:
- Accept the discount if the savings benefit customers
- Reject the supplier and seek ethically compliant alternatives (Correct answer)
- Accept temporarily while searching for another supplier
- Accept if the child labor laws differ in that country
Correct answer: Reject the supplier and seek ethically compliant alternatives
Ethical sourcing requires rejecting suppliers who use exploitative labor practices regardless of cost savings.
Question 6: What does 'professional integrity' mean in the context of artisan baking?
- Maintaining the highest profit margins possible
- Consistently upholding honesty, quality, and ethical standards in all practices (Correct answer)
- Keeping trade secrets from all customers and staff
- Competing aggressively to eliminate rival bakeries
Correct answer: Consistently upholding honesty, quality, and ethical standards in all practices
Professional integrity in baking means consistently acting honestly and maintaining quality and ethical standards.
Question 7: A baker is asked to produce a product labeled 'sourdough' but made with commercial yeast only. Ethically, the baker should:
- Comply if the customer insists and signs off
- Refuse or clarify that accurate labeling is required (Correct answer)
- Use the label only for in-store display not packaging
- Add a small amount of sourdough starter to justify the label
Correct answer: Refuse or clarify that accurate labeling is required
Labeling a product 'sourdough' when it lacks a true sourdough fermentation process constitutes consumer deception.
CAB Professional Ethics & Standards 2
A customer asks an artisan baker to use a competitor's recipe without authorization.
What is the ethical response?