24-1 |
Teaching food safety as a general education course |
K. P. PENNER, Dept. of Animal Sciences & Industry, Kansas State Univ., Food Science Programs, 216 Call Hall, Manhattan, KS 66506 University students enrolled in various curricula are interested in food and food safety. Food safety is a broad topic, covering many disciplines and encompassing virtually every component of the farm to consumer food system. Concepts and Issues in Food Safety, an elective course, was conceived as a means to bring the diverse topics of food safety together under one survey course on a trial basis. It was developed to appeal primarily to students in the College of Agriculture. It was taught as a problems course and met 2 hr/ week for a 16 week semester. Through lecture, class discussion, and special projects, the course explored concepts and issues in food safety. Topics included various hazards such as microorganisms, pesticides, additives, animal drugs, technologies such as irradiation and biotechnologies, risk communications, food safety policy, laws and regulations, and consumer perceptions and behavior. Students tracked current issues in the mass media, critiqued the information provided and submitted short reports. Each student also prepared a written paper and an oral presentation on a food safety topic related to his/her specific major and interests. The students in the class were from various majors: animal science, food science, agronomy, grain science, agricultural journalism, and dietetics. Most were upper class students. They had some knowledge of their major courses of study, and they brought various perspectives to the class discussions. They gained a breadth of knowledge of food safety and increased understanding of its complexities. They also gained depth of knowledge, particularly related to the topic chosen for the term paper that related to their fields of study. Food safety courses benefit students who will use their knowledge in their professions and also in their personal lives as consuming adults.
Session 24, Communicating food safety: To the public, students and food handlers
|