FQD-10306 Business and Consumer Perspectives on Food Quality

Course

Credits 6.00

Language of instruction:

Dutch

Continuation courses:

FQD-23306

Contents:

This course gives an introductory for first year bachelor students Management and Consumer Studies (BBC) and focusses on the question: What is Food Quality? Different perspectives on how to answer this question will be taken into account, since Food Quality (FQ) is a broad topic with several dimensions and defined differently by different stakeholders in the agro-food chain. Both companies and consumers desire products which fulfil their FQ-standards. These standards might however be different for different stakeholders or might be interpreted in different ways. Students studying 'fast moving consumer goods' must be able to understand the different perspectives and in particular the food science aspects which are behind the mass production of food products. The course offers a multidisciplinary view on FQ which allows the students to discuss FQ in the broader context and thus fulfil the bridging role between companies and consumers.
The course is multidisciplinary and consists of 4 blocks, namely; 1) lectures, 2) individual assignments, 3) a practical and 4) a case.

Learning outcomes:

After successful completion of this course students are expected to be able to :
- describe FQ in a scientific way, using the right wording;
- use the information on a food label and from the package to explain food quality to consumers;
- understand differences in FQ perception between companies in the agro-food chain and consumers;
- apply in groups the obtained multidisciplinary knowledge on separate FQ attributes to a specific food product to give suggestions for improvement of the quality of the product;
- explain differences between objective and subjective measurement methods of some FQ attributes
- apply project-oriented group work.

Activities:

- lectures are given by different experts in their field and will present information on several aspects of food quality;
- several advanced assignments are given to work with the information given during the lectures;
- a practical on quality aspects of a selected food product will take place to assess the quality of this product by applying instrumental measurements and conducting sensory research;
- students will work in groups on a case consisting of the innovation of a food product and study this from a consumer's and company's perspective;
- excursion.

Examination:

- multiple choice exam, including individual assignments (50%).
- practical (10%);
- case (groupwork) (40%).
Each component needs a minimum mark of 5.5. The final mark needs a minimum of 5.5 to pass. Marks for the separate parts remain valid for 2 years.

Literature:

Available on Blackboard.