Academic Year/course:
2023/24
546 - Master in Agricultural Engineering
60560 - Food quality and safety
Syllabus Information
Academic year:
2023/24
Subject:
60560 - Food quality and safety
Faculty / School:
201 - Escuela Politécnica Superior
Degree:
546 - Master in Agricultural Engineering
ECTS:
4.5
Year:
1
Semester:
First semester
Subject type:
Compulsory
Module:
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1. General information
This subject contributes to train professionals to develop their work within the framework of food safety, explaining and applying food safety management standards in order to be able to integrate effectively in a company.
This approach is aligned with Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), contributing to some extent to their achievement:
Goal 2: Zero Hunger
Objective: 2.1. To ensure access to healthy, nutritious and sufficient food throughout the year
Goal 3: Health and well-being
Objective: 3.9. reduce the number of deaths and illnesses from hazardous chemicals and pollution of air, water and soil
Goal 12: Responsible production and consumption
Objective: 12.3 reduce food losses in production and supply chains, including post-harvest losses
2. Learning results
Students, in order to pass this subject, must demonstrate the following results:
- Know how to apply food safety legislation in the industry
- Know how to apply the principle of food traceability and the specific systems to achieve traceability in food industries of different sectors.
- To be able to establish the certification process of a product in the agri-food sector and differentiate the quality figures and marks
- To be able to understand the terminology associated with the main quality and food safety systems and the documentation involved.
- To know how to apply the protocol for the implementation of the main quality and food safety systems in different food industries.
-To know how to apply current legislation on food labelling to comply with food safety principles.
3. Syllabus
Theoretical program
Topic 1. Horizontal food safety regulations
Topic 2. Food traceability
Topic 3. Product certification in the agri-food sector, quality figures and marks
Topic 4. Agri-food laboratory
Topic 5. ISO 17025 Standard. Application to an agri-food laboratory
Topic 6. ISO 22000 Standards
Topic 7. IFS Food Standard
Topic 8. BRC Food Safety Standards
Case solving:
- Legal regulations applicable to the food sector. Bibliographic search and ability to synthesize information
- Food labelling and traceability. Interpretation of food label information
- Food Safety Management. Application of food safety regulations to a case
4. Academic activities
- Theoretical classes: 23 hours, to be followed with the material available in the digital teaching ring.
- Case solving: 12 hours. Exercises related to the regulations developed in each topic will be solved.
- Special sessions: 10 hours, with cases related to the professional activity.
In the theoretical classes, the concept of food safety is introduced, the legislative framework that regulates it is interpreted and the role of the food industry is analysed. In the practical part of this subject, cases related to the controls that must be applied in food chains to achieve healthy food are analysed.
5. Assessment system
The assessment of this subject will be carried out by means of a global written exam that will consist of the development of questions on theoretical and practical contents of the subject. The practical activities will be related to the
development of food legislation, traceability and labelling or ISO standards / HACCP system / Certificates and quality marks. This exam will account for 75% of the final grade.
At the end of each of the topics, students will have to answer a series of questions corresponding to each topic, which will be available in an online questionnaire provided by the teachers. These questionnaires will account for 25% of the final grade. Those students who choose not to attend the subject in person will be able to complete the questionnaires outside the classroom.
The success rates in this subject during the last three years have been 87.5%, 90.91% and 100%.