Risk Management and Food Safety

The Food industry must be able to produce safe food, that is, food and drinking water that is free of pathogens and other foreing substances that could endanger people's health. Both industry and food authorities are concerned about and working with food safety. There will always be a certain risk assosiated with the production of food. Microbiological hazards are expected to be known, but chemical and physical hazards may also occur in industry and must be risk assessed. How can we make good decisions under this uncertainty and what is acceptable risk with regard to chemical, physical and microbiological hazards? How can we wipe different considerations related to risk and economy? This is what risk management is all about. T

he students get knowledge of how risk can be managed so that one gets the desired balance between value creations on the one hand and the risk of loss by producing food that can endanger people's health on the other hand. Important standards and norms used in risk management in general and withn the food area will be reviewed.

Themes: - Standards and norms for risk management, risk assessments and risk analysis - Risk management and value Chain food (HACCP and Codex-risk analysis) - Microbiological risk assessment, chemical risk assessments - Risk management and working environment (HSE), - Chrisis management and preparedness - Contaminants that may occur in food from environment, process, packaging material - Parasites that may occur in food and drinking water.

Knowledge Students will:

- gain in-depth knowledge of methods for risk assessments and risk analysis in the food industry

- know the use of risk assessment and risk analyzes in general and in governmental food management in particular

- know the standards and tools for risk assessment and risk analyzes used in food industry and governmental food management (Food safety authorities, Codex)

- know of international surveillance and warning systems for and reporting of food borne diseases (Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed, RASFF)

- have knowledge of toxic substances that can be found naturally in food or be administered as contaminants and their effect on humans, (the dose - response concept)

- gain knowledge of how contaminants is absorbed in the body, metabolized and excreted

- have knowledge of the most important parasitic infections and how they are prevented

- have knowledge of common counterfeits of raw materials and products that occur on the world market (food fraud).

Skills the student will have:

- be able to carry out and communicate practical risk assessment, risk analyzes and preparedness analyzes

- be able to perform assessment regarding the intake of food that may contain contaminants.

Lectures (30h), exercises (30h), preparedness game ("undesirable event") (15h, probably in Norwegian only), self-study (120h). The course will be given in English if chosen by international students.