Food safety top of the menu for new joint venture

university-of-canterbury

Wed Jul 28 2010 12:00:00 GMT+1200 (New Zealand Standard Time)

Food safety top of the menu for new joint venture

Wednesday, 28 July 2010, 12:13 pm
Press Release: University of Canterbury

Food safety top of the menu for new joint venture

New Zealand’s first food safety centre will soon be serving up a smorgasbord of courses catering for the needs of the country’s food producers.

The Food Safety Centre, a joint venture between the University of Canterbury and Lincoln University, has been established to respond to the needs of the food industry to create courses to support and aid the development of New Zealand’s food products. It was set up with funding support from the Tertiary Education Commission.

Canterbury University academic Professor Ian Shaw, who is Director of the new centre, said courses on the menu could cover a range of topics – from bacterial and chemical contamination and the effect on consumers, to safety issues relating to the development of new food products.

“What we want to do is work with the food industry to find out what they want and tailor what we do to meet their needs,” said Professor Shaw.

“We want industry to be involved in developing the programmes it wants. We can train new staff, help make people more aware of the issues involved in food production and keep the industry up-to-date with the latest research.”

Professor Shaw said the centre, which is based at Lincoln University, would have two lecturers to deliver and develop the courses but would also draw on the knowledge of food safety experts from other organisations.

Lincoln University academic Associate Professor Jim Morton, who is working with Professor Shaw on the new initiative, said it was “a really exciting opportunity for industry and the two universities to work together towards a common goal”.

In the long-term, Professor Shaw said the centre would develop a research programme and planned to offer a masters degree in food safety.

ENDS

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