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FOOD 4500 - Food Safety and Regulations
Not offered in 2006-2007 - Offered in 2007-2008 and alternate years thereafter.

Credits: (3-0:0-0)3

Prerequisite: FOOD 4150 (Food Microbiology I) or FOOD 4300 (Food Toxicants) or consent of the instructor.

Instructors:
Dr. Greg Blank
Room 242 Ellis Building
474-8742
blankg@ms.umanitoba.ca

Dr. Harry Sapirstein
Room 264 Ellis Building
474-6481
harry_sapirstein@umanitoba.ca

Description: Current food safety issues; government, industry and consumers' role in organizing a safe food supply system; food laws and regulations in Canada and internationally. Preventative measures to increase food safety including HACCP will also be covered.

COURSE OUTLINE

A. Part I. Principles Relating to Food Safety.

1. Principles of food safety
2. Important historical developments
3. Indicators of risk
4. Methods of risk assessment
5. Present and potential concerns.

B. Part II. Role of Government, Industry and Consumers in organizing a Safe Food Supply.

1. Important legislation
2. Differentiation of judicial relationships among regulatory bodies
3. Causes of major failures.
4. Mechanisims capable of addressing system shortcomings

C. Part III. HACCP

1. Description of the manufacturing of a specific food product
   Identification of critical points in the process
2. Statement of actions required to implement an acceptable control program
3. Factors which may interfere with adoption of the proposed plan
4. Methods by which obstacles may be overcome

SUGGESTED READING MATERIAL

PART I

1. Bhatnagar, D. and Cleveland, T. (Eds.). 1992. Molecular Approaches to Improving Food Quality and Safety. Van Nostrand Reinhold, New York.
2. Birch, G. and Campbell-Platt, G. (Eds.). 1993. Food Safety — the Challenge Ahead. Intercept Ltd., Andover, England.
3. Finley, J., Robinson, S. and Armstrong, D. (Eds.). 1992. Food Safety Assessment. American Chemical Society, Washington D.C.
4. Hubbert, W. and Hagstad, H. 1991. Food Safety & Quality Assurance. Iowa State University Press, Ames, Iowa.
5. Jones, J. 1992. Food Safety. Eagen Press, St. Paul Minnesota.
6. Roberts, H. (Ed.). 1981. Food Safety. John Wiley & Sons, New York.

PART II

Texts/References: No text. As required, handouts of pertinent information and research articles will be distributed as reading assignments. Lecture notes will be distributed as Powepoint slide handouts.

Focus: Principles and issues of food safety particularly as they relate to the perception and relative risk of chemicals in food as causes of human cancer.

Learning Objectives
• Understand food safety issues, and appreciate the difference between perception and reality, risk and benefit
• Know how to define terms related to food safety
• Understand complexities of assessment and interpretation of food safety risk
• Demonstrate knowledge of areas of concern with respect to food toxicology
• Become knowledgeable concerning the relative risks of many natural and synthetic food constituents and outcomes related to food processing

Note: The greater majority (but not all) of sections and subsections listed below will be covered.

1. Introduction and Rationale
a. Why study food safety
b. What are food safety issues
c. Cancer and food

2. Basic Principles of Food Safety
a. Basic definitions: absolute safety, relative safety, toxicity, hazard
b. LD50 values of common substances
c. Issues of analytical sensitivity
d. Food safety issues

3. Historical Developments

4. Interpretation of Risk in Food Safety
a. Perception and reality
b. Relative importance of actual food hazards
c. Hazard identification
d. Principles of dose-response and ADI (acceptable daily intake)
e. Exposure assessment
f. Risk characterization
g. Sources of data and information – Toxicity testing
i. Acute toxicity
ii. Genetic toxicity
iii. Metabolic studies
iv. Sub-chronic studies
v. Teratogenesis
vi. Chronic studies
vii. Problems and uncertainties in toxicity testing using animals
viii. Epidemiology

5. Present and Potential Concerns
a. Naturally occurring food toxicants
i. Enzyme inhibitors
ii. Vasoactive amines
iii. Mutagens in natural plants
iv. Mycotoxins from moulds and fungi
b. Allergens (probably not covered in 2005-06)
i. Peanuts as a model allergen
ii. Mechanisms and increasing prevalence
iii. Effects of processing
c. Pesticide residues in foods
i. Pesticide use, distribution, and fate in the environment
ii. Effects of food processing
iii. Regulation of pesticide use on food crops
iv. Organochlorines - DDT
v. Chlorinated cyclodiene insecticides
vi. Organophosphate insecticides
vii. Carbamate insecticides
viii. Natural occurring pesticides
d. Toxicants formed during food processing
i. Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons
ii. Heterocyclic amines (not covered in 2005-06)
iii. Nitrosamines
iv. Acrylamide
e. Food additives (not covered in 2005-06)
i. Preservatives
ii. Antioxidants
iii. Sweeteners
iv. Colouring agents
f. Critical Risk Evaluation
i. Relative risk
ii. Human Exposure/Rodent Potency Index of different foods
iii. The future

Marking Scheme
Four short written assignments (see below), 4@ 2% 8%
Two 10 min quizzes, 2@ 3% 6%
Final Examination (Part 2 - all class sessions), 90 min, date to be confirmed. 36%
Total 50%

Brief Written Assignment #1 (Due in class, Wednesday, March 8)
• Read handout “Food Safety – The Interpretation of Risk”
• Write a single paragraph of approximately 150 words explaining what you found to be the most interesting piece of information and why.
• Letter grade based on clarity of your response, good grammar, correct spelling and punctuation.
• You may be asked to explain your answer in a class discussion.

Brief Written Assignment #2 (Due in class, Monday, March 13)
• Read article “Environmental Pollution, Pesticides, and the Prevention of Cancer: Misconceptions”, by Ames and Gold. 1997. FASEB Journal 11:1041-1052.
• Write a single paragraph of approximately 150 words explaining what you found to be the most interesting or surprising piece of information and why.

• Due in class, Monday, March 13, 2006
• Letter grade based on clarity of content, plus good grammar, correct spelling & punctuation
• You may be asked to explain your answer in a class discussion.
Brief Written Assignments #3 and #4 will be distributed in class

PART III

1. Mortimer, S. and Wallace, C. 1994. HACCP — A Practical Approach. Chapman & Hall, New York.
2. Pierson, M. and Corbett, D. 1992. HACCP — Principles and Applications. Van Norstrand Reinhold, New York.
3. Siliker, T. (Ed.). 1988. HACCP in Microbiological Safety and Quality. International Commission on Microbiological Specifications for Foods. Blackwell Scientific Publications, Oxford.

Please also note the policy on "exam impersonation" given on page 32 of the University General Calendar.

MARK ALLOCATION:

1. Midterm (PART I) Oct. 3 20%
2. Midterm (PART II) Nov. 2 20%
3. Project (PART III)
   • 10% (written report)
   • 10% (oral presentation)
4. D. Final Exam 40%

References:

• Graf, E. and Saguy, I.S. 1991. Food Product Development. Van Nostran Reinhold.
• Baker, R.C., Han, P.W. and Robbins, K.R. 1988. Fundamentals of New Food Product Development. Elsevier. Sci TP 370 B35
• Moskowitz, H.R. 1983. Product Testing and Sensory Evaluation of Foods. Food and Nutrition Press, Westport CT. Sci TX 546 M915
• Moskowitz, H.R. 1985. New Directions for Product Testing and Sensory Analysis of Foods. Food and Nutrition Press, Westport CT. Dafoe TP 372.3 M67
• Livingston, G.E., Moshy, R.J. and Chang, C.M. 1982. The Role of food Product Development in Implementing Dietary Guidelines. Food and Nutrition Press, Westport, CT. Dafoe TX 360 U6 R65
• Decareau, R.V. 1992. Microwave Foods: New Product Development. Food and Nutrition Press, Westport CT. Sci TX 357 D42
  
  
  Policy on Plagiarism and Cheating (University Calendar)