VM 834 Current Issues in Food Safety

Designed for students with interest in the safety of food ingredients, this course is presented by faculty and other regulatory and industry professionals affiliated with MSU’s new Center for Research on Ingredient Safety (CRIS). Students will learn about the controversies surrounding the definition of “ingredient”, risk/consumer communication, consumer perceptions about ingredient safety, the GRAS designation, regulatory aspects of ingredients, and current controversies and hot topics in the food ingredient world including: preservatives, conventional vs organic, GMO’s and glyphosate residues.

Objective: Students will be able to discuss consumer perceptions regarding ingredient safety, the GRAS designation, Food Additive Petitions, regulatory aspects of ingredients, and current hot topics in the food ingredient world. Students will gain an understanding of food safety related to preservatives, packaging migration, sweeteners, spices, conventional vs. organic farming and GMOs.

Topics will include:

• Regulatory Aspects of Ingredient Safety
• GRAS – Generally Regarded as Safe designation
• Food Additive Petitions
• Conventional vs. Organic farming
• Preservatives
• GMO’s/GEO’s
• Consumer Perceptions of Ingredient Safety
• Spices
• Packaging migration
• BPA
• Color additives
• Sweeteners

Course Materials

All materials will be made available in the D2L course. There is no textbook requirement - readings will be assigned from regulatory, industry, and research sources.

1 Credits