Is Marriage an industry term?

Odd question, but our group has been internally debating this, and I figured I would bring it to this group for input - 

 

We are auditing product, and we often find pieces stuck together (think like two pieces of candy). We've typically called them marriages when we make note in our evaluation, but is that industry standard terminology? 

 

If not, what other words are used to describe this? Typically, the marriages easily break apart into their own individual pieces when helped. We don't want to use clumping as we use that word to describe another common issue we see. 

 

Thank you for tolerating this! 

We use 'doubles' when this comes up, but I do not know if that is an industry standard. We are frozen foods. I don't think it matters as long as you keep the terminology consistent.

I would recommend checking with the manufacturer's association that may represent your industry sector as a whole (soft beverages, milk, candy makers, etc). Usually a food production sector will have some kind of third-party association which companies can become a member of. These organizations oftentimes set "standards" for terms. Knowing the accepted terms within your sector can help when speaking to other companies in your field.

 

In general, your own internal terms for things like this are fine, so long as they are consistent. For best results you should define them in your own internal SOPs and make sure auditors/inspectors are briefed on what these terms mean during inspections.

We use the word "stuck."

Hi MES 2,

 

What about a "duo" if it is two or an "aggregate" if it is more?  (not sure it will make sense to your situation, though!)

I have seen specifications from multiple companies on several different products, and the term 'marriage' has been in wide-spread use.

 

KTD