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Sample Syllabus:
VM/PKG 814 – Packaging for Food Safety
(3 Credits)
John Spink, MS
Adjunct Faculty, NFSTC
Michigan State University
Course Overview
The “Packaging for Food Safety” class is organized as an Executive Education course, providing the student with immediate skills and insights to apply to immediate and current Packaging and Food Safety issues. The class is developed to leverage the MSU School of Packaging expertise, to introduce Food Safety Professionals to general and specific Packaging topics… not a freshman level class and not a packaging materials class. The class work will be frequently supported by interviews or contributions from a wide range of industry, business, consulting, and academic experts – a US Packaging focus with applications for export.
Course Objectives
The Course Objective is to provide students with an insight into advanced Packaging (technical and business) topics with a food safety focus. Real world applications and problem-solving exercises will help students build a framework for being creative and successful in their Food Safety future. Introduce the student to the Institute of Packaging Professional’s “Certified Packaging Professional” program, and help begin the certification process. (Packaging is a big solution not a big problem)
Course Modules (Week denoted by [#])
1. Introduce/ Narrow Class topics
a. [1] Governing bodies and their definitions of food safety/ food security
b. [2] Define food quality vs. food safety with rank of the packaging problems
c. [3] Define the “packaging system” vs. the “package” itself
d. [4] Review mainstream media articles and perspective on Food Safety
2. Basics: Food Safety Packaging 101
a. [5] Food Safety 101 – pathogens in the package
b. [6] Food Safety 101 – how package systems fail
c. [7] Packaging 101 – objectives of packaging, materials
d. [8] Packaging 101 – package components
3. Advanced Packaging and Packaging Interaction – “Pathogens in the Package”
a. [9] “Packaging Fights BAC (bacteria)”– package/ packaging solutions
b. [10] Migration from package to food during processing or handling
c. [11] Introduction to advanced packaging
4. Advanced Topics and Problem Solving
a. [12] Systems Violation: Bioterrorism, Counterfeit, Tampering, Adulteration
b. [13] Anti-Counterfeit: review FDA pharma FDA, then apply to Food
c. [14] Future changes in the Food Processing and Retail System
d. [TBD] Hot Topic Immersion: to be determined
Grading Scale
4.0 90% 126 pts
3.0 85% 119 pts
2.0 80% 112 pts
Note: there are no half points
Course Grading (see Warning below)
Study Questions 75 points 15 lectures, 5 questions per lecture @ 1 point each
Lectures released weekly, quizzes due 2 weeks later
Occasional extra credit homework will be offered
Group Paper 40 points Due two weeks before the last week of classes
Participation 25 points Posted at week 7 (5pts), 10 (10pts), and 15 (10pts)
140 points
Regarding study questions, it is intended that modules and quizzes are released and due weekly, but we give two weeks as a buffer if work or network issues occur. Non-MSU system network access issues or questions that occur the day the quizzes are due are not an excuse for delayed due dates – it is recommended to complete your assignments weekly.
Materials
All course materials will be provided via electronic link to websites or to documents available through the library proxy server.
Extra-Credit
For 5 extra credit points, correlated to missing one quiz, read and submit a 500 word summary of the New York Times Best Seller, “Toxin” by Robin Cook. The book should be available at a local library or at a local bookstore. For 3 more extra credit points (8 total), instead of reading “Toxin”, find another Fiction book that deals with Food Safety problem or threat.
Group Paper/ Project
The Group Paper/ Project will be defined during the semester. The students will be assigned to small groups to review and report on a topic. The report will be due the last week of class.
WARNING
Unless defined, the study questions are expected to be answered in 250-300 word “email”, business professional, Senior Manager presentation-ready format. The questions are direct and not intended to trick the student -- students will have the opportunity to challenge questions considered “tricks”. To receive full credit, the study question answers should include supported opinion, insight, and discussion of business relevance. Thought flow and grammar are as critical as the root argument, but will be consider as a prerequisite of all work – rough, choppy, or confusing answers will be given an instant zero There will be an option to earn back the question points in a five-page white paper on the topic.
Instructor “Contract”
§ I commit to be available via discussion board within 24 hours
§ For personal or more urgent matters, please feel free to contact me directly on email or by phone
§ John Spink, Spinkj@msu.edu,
Class Calendar
(1) This is a target due date… the drop dead due date is one week later
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