PDQ-20306 Food Quality Management

Course

Credits 6.00

Language of instruction:

English

Contents:

Management of food quality in the agri-food chain is rather challenging because it deals with as well complex food production systems as dynamic food organizations operating in a vigorous environment. Integration of knowledge from gamma- and beta sciences is therefore crucial in this area. The course is an introduction into the technological and managerial principles and practices in food quality management. The techno-managerial approach will be introduced as a way to analyse complex food quality management issues. The major theoretical topics include:
- food products, food quality, and quality attributes;
- factors influencing quality attributes in the agri-food chain;
- quality management and organisation, history of quality management;
- technological and managerial concepts, methods, tools, practices in quality design, quality control, quality improvement, and quality assurance;
- quality assurance guidelines and standards; GMP,PRP, HACCP,ISO9001,ISO22000,BRC - quality policy and strategy, Total Quality Management;
- evaluation quality management, quality costs and auditing;
In addition various types of food quality management issues will be provided to exercise with analyzing problems from practice from a techno-managerial perspective.

Learning outcomes:

At the end of this course, students are expected to be able to:
- explain in detail different food quality concepts;
- explain the major quality management principles ;
- know the major technological quality influencing factors and their consequences for product quality;
- know the quality management functions and their relationship with quality performance and recognise the impact of human behaviour;
- understand principles and recognise restrictions of different quality standards and guidelines;
- describe and analyse different quality management strategies;
- use basic knowledge about the technological and managerial principles and practices in food quality management to analyse problems from a techno-managerial perspective.

Activities:

- following lectures, reading book chapters as preparation for lectures;
- analyses of various food quality management problems (cases) from a techno-managerial perspective (blackboard);
- active participation in plenary discussions about cases;
- exercises at blackboard.

Examination:

Written exam and preparation of cases.

Literature:

Book: Luning, P.A. and Marcelis, W.J. (2009). Food Quality Management, technological and managerial principles and practices. Wageningen Academic Publishers.