FOOD SECURITY - 2022/3

Module Overview

The purpose of this module is to provide a detailed theoretical knowledge of Food Security in order to improve the provision of safe food components and commodities that have high nutritional and organoleptic quality. In this respect, the analysis of foods and processing methods that meet UK and EU food legislation and guidelines is examined. In addition, this module covers aspects related to Farm Production and Food, in particular in relation to animal welfare and animal species adulteration. Students will also appreciate the importance of carrying out appropriate risk assessment for further implementation of HACCP methods in the food industry. The module, comprising lectures, tutorials and assessments form an essential part of Food Science.

Module provider

School of Biosciences

Module Leader

GUTIERREZ Jorge (Biosciences)

Number of Credits: 15

ECTS Credits: 7.5

Framework: FHEQ Level 7

Module cap (Maximum number of students): N/A

Module Availability

Semester 2

Prerequisites / Co-requisites

None

Module content

Introduction: Understanding the complexity of Food Security, a multidisciplinary concept that is defined by Water Security, Food Sustainability, Food Quality and Food Safety.

UK Food Legislation to ensure the safety and quality of foods

EU Food Legislation to ensure the safety and quality of foods

Farm/Food production Legislation: Animal Welfare & Food Fraud & HACCP 

Protein analysis: proximate analysis of proteins and detection of specific proteins

Carbohydrate analysis: analysis of simple sugars, starch, cellulose, hemicelluloses, pectin and "dietary fibre"

Lipid analysis: proximate analysis and characterization/quantification of lipid subclasses (oils and fats) -rancidity, adulteration, detection of processing

Mineral analysis: recent advances in the detection of minerals

Vitamin analysis: a critical review of methods of analysis for water and fat soluble vitamins

Quality Analysis of milk and dairy products in relation to legislation

Quality Analysis of Meat and meat products, composition, legislation and adulteration

Quality Analysis of Plant food and cereals

Genetically engineered foods: analysis and quality control

Assessment pattern

Alternative Assessment

NA

Assessment Strategy

The assessment strategy is designed to provide students with the opportunity to demonstrate:

• A knowledge of factors affecting food and water security


• Their ability to critically discuss the advantages, disadvantages and usefulness of techniques used to analyse food components


• Their knowledge of the composition and quality of the major food commodities and products


• Their ability to critically evaluate commodities and products in terms of nutrition, safety and acceptability of foods using the latest quality control procedures


• Their knowledge of the UK and EU regulations and guidelines related to the provision of safe, nutritious and high quality food commodities and processed products

• Podcast - 40 % (challenges faced by the Agrifood sector).


• Visual (video) oral presentation - 60% (solutions to the identified Agrifood challenges)

Module aims

• Examine critically the standard and latest techniques used to assess different classes of food components, for example, lipids, proteins, DNA and carbohydrates.
• Provide an appreciation of the importance of soil and water health to achieve sustainable farming and food security
• Examine critically the composition and quality control procedures used to assess commodities and products from farm to fork
• Acquire an understanding of the implications of processing and storage on the safety and acceptance of food and food products along the food chain

Learning outcomes

Methods of Teaching / Learning

The learning and teaching strategy is designed to:

Provide an understanding and knowledge of global problems, like food and water security, and the role of food quality assurance through lectures and tutorials.

Provide knowledge of the standard and latest techniques used to assess different classes of food for example water, lipids, proteins and carbohydrates.

Provide students with the opportunity to demonstrate that they can describe, explain and understand the issues that the agri-food sector is facing in terms of sustainability.

Provide detailed knowledge and critical reviews of the composition and quality control procedures used to assess commodities and processed products.

To acquire an understanding of the implications of processing and storage on the nutritional and organoleptic quality and acceptance of food and food products.

Lectures include the details of the framework for UK and EU Food legislation as well as drawing attention to specific legislation and guidelines related to the major food commodities and products.

Experts in various fields including visiting lecturers from EFSA, FSA and Food industry provide an in depth knowledge of specific subjects that cannot be covered by FHMS staff.

Indicated Lecture Hours (which may also include seminars, tutorials, workshops and other contact time) are approximate and may include in-class tests where one or more of these are an assessment on the module. In-class tests are scheduled/organised separately to taught content and will be published on to student personal timetables, where they apply to taken modules, as soon as they are finalised by central administration. This will usually be after the initial publication of the teaching timetable for the relevant semester.

Reading list

https://readinglists.surrey.ac.uk
Upon accessing the reading list, please search for the module using the module code: MHUM010

Other information

None

Programmes this module appears in

Please note that the information detailed within this record is accurate at the time of publishing and may be subject to change. This record contains information for the most up to date version of the programme / module for the 2022/3 academic year.