Outline

Overview

Food is essential for health and wellbeing and has a key role in the economy. Food system dynamics have become increasingly complex due to changing consumer demands, increased global trade, and advanced technologies now used in the food industry. In this unit, you will develop a comprehensive understanding of the monitoring and control of quality and safety of foods during the food production process and its distribution. The content is aimed at ensuring that the consumer receives food products that are safe to consume and with the desired level of quality, both in terms of their sensory attributes and nutritional composition. You will examine techniques for the monitoring and control of food quality and food safety. On completion of this unit, you will be better able to: 1) Understand the roles of quality control, quality assurance and quality management systems in controlling the quality and safety of food; 2) Outline key issues in food legislation and its implementation in control and management of food quality and safety. You will develop a sound underpinning of the scientific concepts of food safety and quality management for a range of fresh and processed foods.

Unit details and rules

Unit code	FOOD3000
Academic unit	Life and Environmental Sciences Academic Operations
Credit points	6
Prohibitions ?	None
Prerequisites ?	Completion of 72 credit points of units of study
Corequisites ?	None
Assumed knowledge ?	Equivalent to 1st-year Biology plus 2nd-year chemistry/biochemistry: -biology, chemistry, biochemistry -Carbohydrates, proteins (including enzymes), lipids -Principles of cellular metabolism -6cp of BIOL1XXX or MBLG1XXX or FOOD2000
Available to study abroad and exchange students	No

Teaching staff

Coordinator	Kim-Yen Phan-Thien, kim-yen.phan-thien@sydney.edu.au
Lecturer(s)	Julian Cox, julian.cox@sydney.edu.au
Lecturer(s)	Ali Khoddami, ali.khoddami@sydney.edu.au

Type	Description	Weight	Due	Length
Assignment	Portfolio Pebblepad collation of reflections and responses to weekly questions	30%	Formal exam period Due date: 04 Dec 2021 at 23:59 Closing date: 14 Dec 2021	2000 w
Outcomes assessed:
Participation	Class attendance Attend at least 80% of tutorial and practical classes	0%	Ongoing	Ongoing
Outcomes assessed:
Assignment	QA project - peer review Peer review of draft report from one group, by members of another group	5%	Week 09 Due date: 11 Oct 2021 at 23:59 Closing date: 21 Oct 2021	250 w
Outcomes assessed:
Assignment	Microbes and food safety Scientific written report	20%	Week 10 Due date: 18 Oct 2021 at 23:59 Closing date: 28 Oct 2021	1500 w
Outcomes assessed:
Assignment	QA project - final report Scientific written report	25%	Week 12 Due date: 01 Nov 2021 at 23:59 Closing date: 11 Nov 2021	2000 w
Outcomes assessed:
Presentation	QA project - seminar Oral presentation	10%	Week 13	10 min + 5 min QA
Outcomes assessed:
Participation	QA project - teamwork Peer evaluation of team members, including self-evaluation	10%	Weekly	3 min
Outcomes assessed:
= hurdle task ? = group assignment ? = group assignment with individually assessed component ?

Assessment summary

QA project. This team project will require you to explore various aspects of food safety and quality legislation and operational processes in the context of a specific food product. You will collaborate to produce a written report, supported by a peer review process for a draft of the report, and to present a summary of your findings in a seminar format. You will also be required to provide regular feedback to your teammates (and teaching staff) on how your team is working.

Microbes and food safety. For this task, you will be allocated to a pair of students and assigned a microorganism. You will research and summarise key facts about the microorganism and its significance to the food industry in a concise written report.

Portfolio. This electronic portfolio will require you to reflect upon and connect elements of the technical content of FOOD3000, as well as capture your development of complementary skills, and develop your own sense of your professional identity, capabilities, and grasp of food quality and safety.

Assessment criteria

The University awards common result grades, set out in the Coursework Policy 2014 (Schedule 1).

As a general guide, a High distinction indicates work of an exceptional standard, a Distinction a very high standard, a credit a good standard, and a pass an acceptable standard.

Result name	Mark range	Description
High distinction	85 - 100	When the learning outcomes of the unit are demonstrated at an exceptional standard.
Distinction	75 - 84	When the learning outcomes of the unit are demonstrated at a very high standard.
Credit	65 - 74	When the learning outcomes of the unit are demonstrated at a good standard.
Pass	50 - 64	When the learning outcomes of the unit are demonstrated at an acceptable standard.
Fail	0 - 49	When you don’t meet the learning outcomes of the unit to a satisfactory standard.

For more information see: sydney.edu.au/students/guide-to-grades

For more information see guide to grades.

Late submission

In accordance with University policy, these penalties apply when written work is submitted after 11:59pm on the due date:

Deduction of 5% of the maximum mark for each calendar day after the due date.
After ten calendar days late, a mark of zero will be awarded.

Academic integrity

The Current Student website provides information on academic integrity and the resources available to all students. The University expects students and staff to act ethically and honestly and will treat all allegations of academic integrity breaches seriously.

We use similarity detection software to detect potential instances of plagiarism or other forms of academic integrity breach. If such matches indicate evidence of plagiarism or other forms of academic integrity breaches, your teacher is required to report your work for further investigation.

You may only use artificial intelligence and writing assistance tools in assessment tasks if you are permitted to by your unit coordinator, and if you do use them, you must also acknowledge this in your work, either in a footnote or an acknowledgement section.

Studiosity is permitted for postgraduate units unless otherwise indicated by the unit coordinator. The use of this service must be acknowledged in your submission.

Learning support

Simple extensions

If you encounter a problem submitting your work on time, you may be able to apply for an extension of five calendar days through a simple extension.  The application process will be different depending on the type of assessment and extensions cannot be granted for some assessment types like exams.

Special consideration

If exceptional circumstances mean you can’t complete an assessment, you need consideration for a longer period of time, or if you have essential commitments which impact your performance in an assessment, you may be eligible for special consideration or special arrangements.

Special consideration applications will not be affected by a simple extension application.

Using AI responsibly

Co-created with students, AI in Education includes lots of helpful examples of how students use generative AI tools to support their learning. It explains how generative AI works, the different tools available and how to use them responsibly and productively.

Weekly schedule

WK	Topic	Learning activity
Week 01	Introduction to food quality and safety	Online class (2 hr)
	Quality, quality values, and baked beans	Tutorial (2 hr)
	Reflective practice (dry lab)	Practical (3 hr)
Week 02	Total quality management	Online class (2 hr)
	Food regulation	Tutorial (2 hr)
	Teamwork (dry lab)	Practical (3 hr)
Week 03	Quality assurance systems	Online class (2 hr)
	Industry case studies	Tutorial (2 hr)
	Editorial skills (dry lab)	Practical (3 hr)
Week 04	Microbiological criteria and sampling plans	Online class (2 hr)
	Scenarios for modification of criteria	Tutorial (2 hr)
	‘Seminar’ seminar (dry lab)	Practical (3 hr)
Week 05	Principles of HACCP	Online class (2 hr)
	HACCP the Mac	Tutorial (2 hr)
	Monitoring tools (dry lab)	Practical (3 hr)
Week 06	Cleaning and sanitation	Online class (2 hr)
	Laboratory QA: NATA and beyond	Tutorial (2 hr)
	QA tour of the teaching lab	Science laboratory (3 hr)
Week 07	Prerequisite programs	Online class (2 hr)
	Food safety culture	Tutorial (2 hr)
	Student seminar (dry lab)	Practical (3 hr)
Week 08	Food microbiology 101	Online class (2 hr)
	Virtual tour of Birling Lab	Tutorial (2 hr)
	Microbiological testing I	Science laboratory (3 hr)
Week 09	Labelling	Online class (2 hr)
	Risk assessment models	Tutorial (2 hr)
	Microbiological testing II	Science laboratory (3 hr)
Week 10	Adulteration, adulterants, and traceability	Online class (2 hr)
	Vulnerabilities, threats, and crisis management	Tutorial (2 hr)
	Chemical testing I	Science laboratory (3 hr)
Week 11	Emerging methods of analysis	Online class (2 hr)
	Scenarios for testing	Tutorial (2 hr)
	Chemical testing II	Science laboratory (3 hr)
Week 12	Industry context I	Seminar (1 hr)
	Industry context II	Seminar (1 hr)
	Industry context III	Seminar (1 hr)
Week 13	Revision	Online class (2 hr)
	Group project presentations I	Seminar (2 hr)
	Group project presentations II	Seminar (2 hr)

Attendance and class requirements

All lectures are expected to be online in 2021.

The tutorial and practical classes will be conducted in-person (circumstances permitting) and online (in real-time with web-based interaction).

You must attend at least 80% of tutorial and practical classes to pass the course. Make-up options are available for students with special consideration.

Study commitment

Typically, there is a minimum expectation of 1.5-2 hours of student effort per week per credit point for units of study offered over a full semester. For a 6 credit point unit, this equates to roughly 120-150 hours of student effort in total.

Required readings

All readings for this unit can be accessed through the Library eReserve, available on Canvas.

Learning outcomes

Learning outcomes are what students know, understand and are able to do on completion of a unit of study. They are aligned with the University's graduate qualities and are assessed as part of the curriculum.

At the completion of this unit, you should be able to:

LO1. Explain and discuss key scientific concepts underpinning food quality and safety
LO2. Describe governance of food quality and safety in Australia including legislation, regulation, industry codes of practice, and quality assurance systems
LO3. Apply selected quality assurance systems used in the food industry to control food quality and safety
LO4. Determine control points and critical control points in model food processing operations and supply chains
LO5. Apply standard and emerging methods of analysis to monitor food quality and safety
LO6. Describe how risk assessment tools are developed and applied in model food processing operations and supply chains
LO7. Demonstrate and apply skills in collaborative learning, reflective practice, team work, and communication

Graduate qualities

The graduate qualities are the qualities and skills that all University of Sydney graduates must demonstrate on successful completion of an award course. As a future Sydney graduate, the set of qualities have been designed to equip you for the contemporary world.

GQ1	Depth of disciplinary expertise Deep disciplinary expertise is the ability to integrate and rigorously apply knowledge, understanding and skills of a recognised discipline defined by scholarly activity, as well as familiarity with evolving practice of the discipline.
GQ2	Critical thinking and problem solving Critical thinking and problem solving are the questioning of ideas, evidence and assumptions in order to propose and evaluate hypotheses or alternative arguments before formulating a conclusion or a solution to an identified problem.
GQ3	Oral and written communication Effective communication, in both oral and written form, is the clear exchange of meaning in a manner that is appropriate to audience and context.
GQ4	Information and digital literacy Information and digital literacy is the ability to locate, interpret, evaluate, manage, adapt, integrate, create and convey information using appropriate resources, tools and strategies.
GQ5	Inventiveness Generating novel ideas and solutions.
GQ6	Cultural competence Cultural Competence is the ability to actively, ethically, respectfully, and successfully engage across and between cultures. In the Australian context, this includes and celebrates Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures, knowledge systems, and a mature understanding of contemporary issues.
GQ7	Interdisciplinary effectiveness Interdisciplinary effectiveness is the integration and synthesis of multiple viewpoints and practices, working effectively across disciplinary boundaries.
GQ8	Integrated professional, ethical, and personal identity An integrated professional, ethical and personal identity is understanding the interaction between one’s personal and professional selves in an ethical context.
GQ9	Influence Engaging others in a process, idea or vision.

Outcome map

Learning outcomes	Graduate qualities
Learning outcomes

Responding to student feedback

This section outlines changes made to this unit following staff and student reviews.

The unit has been revised to have more food safety content and emphasis on application of Q&A tools and frameworks to model food systems and authentic scenarios. The assessment tasks have been revised to replace the final exam with expanded in-semester assignments, including both formative and summative tasks. Participation in at least 80% of tutorial and practical classes is now a hurdle task.

Additional information

Work, health and safety

The practical classes will be conducted in a General Laboratory, Food Science Laboratory, and PC2 Laboratory. There are differences in the WHS policies and procedures that apply in each type of laboratory.

You must review the online safety information prior to each laboratory class. You will be required to complete a safety induction, including an acknowledgement that you have understood the WHS information, prior to beginning practical activities in the laboratory.

Detailed WHS information will be provided through Canvas and LabArchives.

Disclaimer

The University reserves the right to amend units of study or no longer offer certain units, including where there are low enrolment numbers.

To help you understand common terms that we use at the University, we offer an online glossary.

Current students

Overview

Overview

Unit details and rules

Teaching staff

Assessment

Assessment

Assessment summary

Assessment criteria

Late submission

Academic integrity

Learning support

Learning support

Simple extensions

Special consideration

Using AI responsibly

Weekly schedule

Weekly schedule

Attendance and class requirements

Study commitment

Required readings

Learning outcomes

Learning outcomes

Graduate qualities

Outcome map

Responding to student feedback

Responding to student feedback

Additional information

Additional information

Work, health and safety

Disclaimer

On this page

Useful links

Media

Student links

About us

Connect

Current students

FOOD3000: Food Quality and Safety

Semester 2, 2021 [Block mode] - Remote

Overview

Overview

Unit details and rules

Teaching staff

Assessment

Assessment

Assessment summary

Assessment criteria

Late submission

Academic integrity

Learning support

Learning support

Simple extensions

Special consideration

Using AI responsibly

Weekly schedule

Weekly schedule

Attendance and class requirements

Study commitment

Required readings

Learning outcomes

Learning outcomes

Graduate qualities

Outcome map

Responding to student feedback

Responding to student feedback

Additional information

Additional information

Work, health and safety

Disclaimer

On this page

Useful links

Media

Student links

About us

Connect