| Semester 2, 2021 Toowoomba On-campus | |
| Short Description: | Food Quality Assurance |
| Units : | 1 |
| Faculty or Section : | Faculty of Health, Engineering and Sciences |
| School or Department : | School of Sciences |
| Student contribution band : | Band 2 |
| ASCED code : | 019905 - Food Science and Biotechnology |
| Grading basis : | Graded |
Staffing
Examiner:
Other Requisites
Recommended: BIO1810 and BIO3820
Rationale
An understanding of contemporary food safety regulations is essential for food growers, manufacturers and supplier so that high quality, hygienic and nutritious food reaches the marketplace. Such knowledge includes international and national food quality standards, statistical methods for ensuring food quality, Hazard Analysis and Critical Points principles and government policy and regulations on food safety.
Synopsis
This course examines the approaches required for ensuring food quality and food safety. It includes an overview of the history, principles and tools of total quality management, an outline of the fundamentals of ISO9000 standards, a background to quality assurance and a summary of contemporary statistical methods for food quality control. The main principles of Hazard Analysis and Critical Points (HACCP) are provided and the course concludes with a review of current government regulations on food safety.
This course contains a highly recommended Residential School where students will be working with students from other courses, and will involve factory tours.
Objectives
On successful completion of this course students should be able to:
- Apply expertise in the history, principles and tools of total quality management;
- Critically assess the fundamentals of ISO9000 standards;
- Integrate knowledge of quality assurance in terms of the food industry;
- Evaluate current statistical methods for food quality control;
- Apply expertise in the main principles of Hazard Analysis and Critical Points;
- Evaluate current government regulations on food safety.
Topics
| Description | Weighting(%) | |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | Introduction to food quality assurance: definitions of quality, liability, accountability. | 10.00 |
| 2. | Total quality management: history, principles and tools | 10.00 |
| 3. | ISO9000 family: background, obligations, management and auditing guidelines | 10.00 |
| 4. | Quality assurance: functions, audits, documentation systems | 10.00 |
| 5. | Statistical methods of food quality control | 20.00 |
| 6. | HACCP: the main principles of Hazard Analysis and Critical Points | 30.00 |
| 7. | Government regulations on food quality assurance | 10.00 |
Text and Materials
ALL textbooks and materials available to be purchased can be sourced from (unless otherwise stated). (https://omnia.usq.edu.au/textbooks/?year=2021&sem=02&subject1=BIO3821)
Please for alternative purchase options from USQ Bookshop. (https://omnia.usq.edu.au/info/contact/)
Reference Materials
Student Workload Expectations
| Activity | Hours |
|---|---|
| Assignments | 24.00 |
| Examinations | 3.00 |
| Lectures | 21.00 |
| Private Study | 85.00 |
| Residential Schools | 32.00 |
| Tutorials | 10.00 |
Assessment Details
| Description | Marks out of | Wtg (%) | Due Date | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Practical Competence Testing | 20 | 20 | 05 Aug 2021 | (see note 1) |
| HACCP and SPC Assignment 1 | 100 | 20 | 16 Aug 2021 | |
| Food Safety Plan Assignment 2 | 100 | 20 | 11 Oct 2021 | (see note 2) |
| Open Examination - Online | 100 | 40 | End S2 | (see note 3) |
Notes
- The Competence Testing will be conducted during the residential school.
- The Residential School is highly recommended as the data collected is used in the completion of the HACCP and SPC Assignment 1 and the Food Safety Plan Assignment 2. It also allows direct industry exposure and networking through factory tours.
- This will be an online exam. Students will be provided further instruction regarding the exam by their course examiner via StudyDesk. The examination date will be available via UConnect when the Alternate Assessment Schedule has been released.
Important assessment information
-
Attendance requirements:
It is the students' responsibility to attend and participate appropriately in all activities scheduled for them, and to study all material provided to them or required to be accessed by them to maximise their chance of meeting the objectives of the course and to be informed of course-related activities and administration. -
Requirements for students to complete each assessment item satisfactorily:
To complete each of the assessment items satisfactorily, students must obtain at least 50% of the marks available for each assessment item. -
Penalties for late submission of required work:
Students should refer to the Assessment Procedure (point 4.2.4) -
Requirements for student to be awarded a passing grade in the course:
To be assured of receiving a passing grade a student must obtain at least 50% of the total weighted marks available for the course (i.e. the Primary Hurdle), and have satisfied the Secondary Hurdle (Supervised), i.e. the end of semester examination by achieving at least 40% of the weighted marks available for that assessment item.
Supplementary assessment may be offered where a student has undertaken all of the required summative assessment items and has passed the Primary Hurdle but failed to satisfy the Secondary Hurdle (Supervised), or has satisfied the Secondary Hurdle (Supervised) but failed to achieve a passing Final Grade by 5% or less of the total weighted Marks.
To be awarded a passing grade for a supplementary assessment item (if applicable), a student must achieve at least 50% of the available marks for the supplementary assessment item as per the Assessment Procedure (point 4.4.2). -
Method used to combine assessment results to attain final grade:
The final grades for students will be assigned on the basis of the weighted aggregate of the marks obtained for each of the summative assessment items in the course. -
Examination information:
An Online Examination is one in which candidates may have access to any printed, written, or online material as well as a calculator. -
Examination period when Deferred/Supplementary examinations will be held:
Deferred and Supplementary examinations will be held in accordance with the Assessment Procedure . -
University Student Policies:
Students should read the USQ policies: Definitions, Assessment and Student Academic Misconduct to avoid actions which might contravene University policies and practices. These policies can be found at .
Assessment Notes
-
Harvard (AGPS) is the referencing system required in this course. Students should use Harvard (AGPS) style in their thesis to format details of the information sources they have cited in their work. The Harvard (AGPS) style to be used is defined by the USQ Library's referencing guide.
Evaluation and Benchmarking
In meeting the University’s aims to establish quality learning and teaching for all programs, this course monitors and ensures quality assurance and improvements in at least two ways. This course:
- Conforms to the USQ Policy on Evaluation of Teaching, Courses and Programs to ensure ongoing monitoring and systematic improvement.
- Forms part of the Bachelor of Science (BSCI) and is benchmarked against the internal USQ accreditation/reaccreditation processes which include (i) stringent standards in the independent accreditation of its academic programs, (ii) close integration between business and academic planning, and (iii) regular and rigorous review.