Exploration of various biological and chemical agents potentially present in animal feeds and human foods and examination of associated links to human health defects/disease progression. Description of hazard and contaminant routes into the agri-food supply chain and the potential health impacts associated with the consumption of contaminated foods. Examination of the acute and chronic effects of exposure to chemical biotoxins in food and persistent environmental pollutants which bioaccumulate through the food chain. Positive aspects of food and implications for the use of food constituents such as nutraceuticals for health promotion/disease prevention purposes.
Principles behind new emerging screening technologies for rapid/early detection of feed/food contamination incidents and farm animal diseases. Overviews of applications of various test platforms to include Time of Flight mass spectrometry, biosensor-based technologies, spectrometric approaches and ELISA's in food safety analysis will be delivered and complemented by hands-on practical experience in the use of relevant instrumentation.
Examples of highly varied, internationally relevant and difficult to detect incidences of food fraud and compromised food traceability will be examined. The range and types of food fraud will be discussed and the means of detecting such incidences to ensure that food is safe, wholesome and authentic demonstrated. Regulatory requirements and associated challenges to the maintenance of food quality/safety will be elucidated highlighting the need for sensitive analytical techniques which can assist in such tasks. The economic consequences of food product recalls due to food contamination incidents will be assessed highlighting the need for traceability across the whole food supply chain, together with an exploration of consumer willingness to pay for improvements to aspects of food safety and traceability.