Food Quality Assurance

Food quality assurance includes all the processes a product should go through. It consists of a variety of primary inspections, audits, registrations and certifications of agricultural and food industry products, provides consumers with safe, high quality food products along with the maintenance of fair trade practices and enhances product marketability for the agricultural and food industry.
This unit will explore and assess the management of quality processes in the agrifood chain in the context of public health. The whole supply chain is studied from the primary sector to the final consumer.
The aims of this unit are to:
Develop an up to date knowledge and critical understanding of technological food quality properties and quality management.
Develop knowledge of processes, tools and methods used in food quality design, control, improvement and assurance.
The syllabus is based on appropriate content from the recommended text books for the unit and peer-reviewed literature published in scientific journals.

Food Systems Management

A sustainable community food system is a collaborative network that integrates sustainable food production, processing, distribution, consumption and waste management in order to enhance the environmental, economic and social health of a particular place.
This unit explores the complex management of food system from farm to home, and everything in-between (growing, harvesting, processing, packaging, transporting, marketing, consuming and disposing of food and food packages) to sustain food security. This unit addresses the best practice in delivery of nutritious products to meet dietary requirements and habits and consumer trends; This unit assesses ethical issues in the food industry including the environment and food law. This unit will shape our food system, including political, societal, environmental, economic, and ethical concerns. This unit integrates knowledge of the unit Food and Nutrition Insecurity and can be applied during the research project (BHS038-6).
The aims of this unit are to:
Develop a critical understanding of current food systems management
Gain knowledge of ethical issues in the food industry
Gain in-depth knowledge of general food law
Apply management skills to ensure legal compliance with current food law and appropriate standards
The syllabus is based on recent publications from the Food Ethics Council, enforcement and regulation recommendations from the Food Standards Agency and standard text books.

Principles, Policies And Issues In Public Health

• To facilitate an understanding of key principles of public health and the public health policies that shape the way in which public health issues might be addressed. 

• To foster a critical understanding of the principles, relevant policies and research issues that have impacted on the way in which public health is currently addressed in the UK and internationally.

• To develop students’ skills of critical analysis and evaluation, as these are the basis for reviewing and evaluating policy and practice and its underlying evidence base.

• To enable students to develop and achieve their learning objectives, which is relevant to addressing the needs of the population.

Food And Nutrition Insecurity

There are major global food and nutrition insecurity issues arising from the complications of climate changes, population increase, food spoilage and food waste etc. Food and nutrition insecurity has risen to the top of the international policy agenda over the last decade. It is a complex and multi-faceted issue, requiring a broad and inter-disciplinary perspective for full understanding. This core unit will enable the comprehensive compilation of current knowledge of food and nutrition insecurity from a global perspective. This unit will review current research and the challenges across food and nutrition security in public health.
The aims of this unit are to:
Develop up to date knowledge and skills required to investigate the food and nutrient supply chain
Develop understanding of sustainable agriculture (land and water systems including major biological systems) in relation to public health.
Importance of the key concepts such as epidemiology, principles and policies in public health in tackling global food and nutrition insecurity and the associated health burdens.
The syllabus is based on appropriate content from the recommended text books for the unit and peer-reviewed literature published in scientific journals

Food Safety

Food safety systems have been introduced in the developed world to increase confidence in food and to prevent us from eating food that may make us ill. The traceability of an ingredient or malfunction in food chain is important for identifying food quality. This unit explores various biological and chemical agents potentially present in animal feeds and human foods and examines the potential risks to human health and associations with disease progression.

The aims of this unit are to:
Develop an up to date knowledge and critical understanding of food safety with particular emphasis on public health
Design and implement a traceability system fully compliant with customer and legal requirements; monitor to verify validity of process
The syllabus is based on appropriate content from the recommended text books for the unit and peer-reviewed literature published in scientific journals.

Food Security Research Project

The project unit is an intensive research experience, which may take place in the laboratory or field or may be management related work in a chosen food industry and/or a government policy area. 

Independent research is a critical part of any master’s degree and the part that most students find the most satisfying since it is an opportunity to undertake an extended period of personal research and present it in a professional format. 

The project unit aims to provide you with the opportunity to gain experience in performing an independent research investigation with guidance from experienced researchers. 

Epidemiology In Public Health

The aim of this unit is designed to introduce the key concepts and principles of epidemiology and acquire the knowledge and skills necessary to describe, analyse, interpret and appraise epidemiological studies. 

Other specific aims of the unit are to:

• develop a critical understanding of the concepts of disease incidence, prevalence, and risk, and how they are assessed.

• develop a critical understanding of the main issues in the design of epidemiological studies and critically assess the suitability of each type of study design (cohort design, case-control design and intervention)

• develop a critical appreciation of key issues in the analysis and interpretation of epidemiological results and critically assess the effects of bias and confounding as well as the distinction between association and causation using appropriate research and evidence.