Food Safety and Quality (FOOD90008)
Graduate courseworkPoints: 12.5Online
Overview
| Availability | Semester 2 - Online |
|---|---|
| Fees | Look up fees |
The food we eat provides our bodies with the nutrients to live, grow and function properly. High quality food contains attributes that are acceptable to consumers. The demand for safe and high-quality foods is rapidly increasing as low quality and unsafe food containing harmful microorganisms, physical constituents and chemical substances, affects the health and well-being of humans. In order to provide safe and quality food, it is necessary to maintain manufacturing and processing standards.
This subject will provide students with an advanced understanding of scientific principles and concepts related to safety and quality standards of food products. Since the importance of quality assurance in producing safe and quality foods in terms of both Australian and international food standards codes are emphasized, the subject will include topics such as: Quality management and international and national quality management standards; What are customers’ expectations of food?; Probability and sampling; Statistical process control; Microbial factors in food quality; Risk analysis and management; Quantitative risk assessment; Regulatory requirements The Food Safety Code, Codex Alimentarius; Global food safety initiative and industry schemes; Performance measures and benchmarking; Role of internal and external auditing; Food safety management systems; Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) and food safety risks; Quality auditing and improvement; Costs of quality failures; Food allergen management; Maintaining food quality & safety in the production chain; Safety and quality of plant foods, dairy, meat, seafood and GM foods; Australia’s native foods: quality & safety.
Intended learning outcomes
On completion of the subject students should be able to:
- Analyse data and apply quality management tools
- Understand and analyse the Australian and international regulatory environment relating to the food chain
- Analyse and identify potential risks in the food chain
- Apply HACCP principles in a food safety plan
- Evaluate important quality control concepts and skills.
Generic skills
On completion of this subject, students should have developed the following generic skills:
- Academic excellence
- Greater in-depth understanding of scientific disciplines used in industry
- The study will develop critical thinking and analysis and problem solving
- Flexibility and level of transferable skills should be enhanced though improved ability to communicate ideas effectively in both written and verbal formats
Last updated: 4 March 2025
Eligibility and requirements
Prerequisites
None
Corequisites
None
Non-allowed subjects
None
Recommended background knowledge
It is recommended that students have studied one of the following level 9 statistics subjects, or equivalent:
| Code | Name | Teaching period | Credit Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| NRMT90003 | Social Research Methods | Semester 1 (On Campus - Parkville) |
12.5 |
| AGRI90075 | Research Methods For Life Sciences | Semester 1 (Online) |
12.5 |
Inherent requirements (core participation requirements)
The University of Melbourne is committed to providing students with reasonable adjustments to assessment and participation under the Disability Standards for Education (2005), and the Assessment and Results Policy (MPF1326). Students are expected to meet the core participation requirements for their course. These can be viewed under Entry and Participation Requirements for the course outlines in the Handbook.
Further details on how to seek academic adjustments can be found on the Student Equity and Disability Support website: http://services.unimelb.edu.au/student-equity/home
Last updated: 4 March 2025
Assessment
| Description | Timing | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
Assignment due in approximately Week 5
| Week 5 | 20% |
Online test
| Week 8 | 30% |
Food safety plan draft
| Week 10 | 15% |
Examination (open book)
| During the examination period | 35% |
Last updated: 4 March 2025
Dates & times
- Semester 2 - Online
Principal coordinator Senaka Ranadheera Mode of delivery Online Contact hours Approximately 4 hours of concept overview, short video/s, directed worksheet, synchronous lectures and webinar discussions per week Total time commitment 170 hours Teaching period 28 July 2025 to 26 October 2025 Last self-enrol date 8 August 2025 Census date 1 September 2025 Last date to withdraw without fail 26 September 2025 Assessment period ends 21 November 2025 Semester 2 contact information
What do these dates mean
Visit this webpage to find out about these key dates, including how they impact on:
- Your tuition fees, academic transcript and statements.
- And for Commonwealth Supported students, your:
- Student Learning Entitlement. This applies to all students enrolled in a Commonwealth Supported Place (CSP).
Subjects withdrawn after the census date (including up to the ‘last day to withdraw without fail’) count toward the Student Learning Entitlement.
Last updated: 4 March 2025
Further information
- Texts
- Related Handbook entries
This subject contributes to the following:
Type Name Course Graduate Diploma in Food Science Course Master of Biotechnology Course Graduate Certificate in Food Science Course Master of Food Science Course Master of Food and Packaging Innovation - Available through the Community Access Program
About the Community Access Program (CAP)
This subject is available through the Community Access Program (also called Single Subject Studies) which allows you to enrol in single subjects offered by the University of Melbourne, without the commitment required to complete a whole degree.
Please note Single Subject Studies via Community Access Program is not available to student visa holders or applicants
Entry requirements including prerequisites may apply. Please refer to the CAP applications page for further information.
- Available to Study Abroad and/or Study Exchange Students
Last updated: 4 March 2025