Final answer:
The claim that DALs mandate zero tolerance for food defects is false. DALs allow for certain levels of natural or unavoidable defects in foods that do not pose health hazards.
Step-by-step explanation:
The statement that the Defect Action Levels (DALs) mandate zero tolerance food defects is False. Defect Action Levels, set by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), represent the maximum levels of natural or unavoidable defects in foods that present no health hazards for humans. These include certain levels of insect parts, rodent hairs, and other naturally occurring defects that are considered unavoidable in commercial food processing. DALs are set because it is economically impractical to grow, harvest, or process raw products that are totally free of non-hazardous, naturally occurring, unavoidable defects.