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DEGREE REGULATIONS & PROGRAMMES OF STUDY 2021/2022

Information in the Degree Programme Tables may still be subject to change in response to Covid-19

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DRPS : Course Catalogue : Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies : Veterinary Sciences

Postgraduate Course: Food Traceability, Labelling, Fraud and Crime (VESC11223)

Course Outline
SchoolRoyal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies CollegeCollege of Medicine and Veterinary Medicine
Credit level (Normal year taken)SCQF Level 11 (Postgraduate)
Course typeOnline Distance Learning AvailabilityNot available to visiting students
SCQF Credits10 ECTS Credits5
SummaryFocussing on foodstuffs of animal origin, the 'Traceability and Food Fraud' (10 credit) course investigates the current, and future, possibilities for tracing the origins of our food and the role of labelling. This course examines the categories, appropriate inspection techniques and lab techniques for the detection of food fraud and discusses organised food crime.
Course description This course aims to equip students with the knowledge and skills to critically evaluate traceability schemes, to understand the role of labelling in ensuring traceability and the relevant policies and legislation. Where this is subverted, food fraud poses a challenge for the food industry and regulatory authorities. How this challenge is met (via inspection, detection using specialised lab techniques and an understanding of organised food crime) will be elucidated and discussed.
Topics:
- Principles of traceability
- Food labelling
- Food fraud categories & inspection techniques
- Lab techniques
- Food crime
Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
Pre-requisites Co-requisites
Prohibited Combinations Other requirements None
Course Delivery Information
Academic year 2021/22, Not available to visiting students (SS1) Quota:  None
Course Start Block 5 (Sem 2) and beyond
Course Start Date 02/05/2022
Timetable Timetable
Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) Total Hours: 100 ( Lecture Hours 98, Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 2, Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours 0 )
Assessment (Further Info) Written Exam 0 %, Coursework 100 %, Practical Exam 0 %
Additional Information (Assessment) Formative assessment: multiple choice questions

Summative Assessment: Analysis of the labels of products and a report on how to investigate the veracity of their claims.
Feedback Students will receive prepared feedback for the formative MCQs and written or oral feedback on the summative assessment within 15 working days of each assessment being due.
No Exam Information
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
  1. Demonstrate a critical understanding of the principles of traceability of food of animal origin.
  2. Use a range of skills, techniques and practice materials to appraise the information on food labels and their compliance with regulations.
  3. Be able to select appropriate, cutting-edge laboratory techniques to determine the true nature of food products.
Reading List
To be provided in week 1 - appropriate resources are available in the library.
Additional Information
Graduate Attributes and Skills Knowledge and skills will include:

A. Research and Enquiry
Graduates of the University will be able to create new knowledge and opportunities for learning through the process of research and enquiry. This may be understood in terms of the following:
- be able to identify, define and analyse problems and identify or create processes to solve them
- be able to exercise critical judgment in creating new understanding
- be ready to ask key questions and exercise rational enquiry
- be able to critically assess existing understanding and the limitations of their own knowledge and recognise the need to regularly challenge all knowledge
- search for, evaluate and use information to develop their knowledge and understanding
- have an informed respect for the principles, methods, standards, values and boundaries of their discipline(s) and the capacity to question these
- understand economic, legal, ethical, social, cultural and environmental issues in the use of information.

B. Personal and Intellectual Autonomy
Graduates of the University will be able to work independently and sustainably, in a way that is informed by openness, curiosity and a desire to meet new challenges. This may be understood in terms of the following:
- be independent learners who take responsibility for their own learning, and are committed to continuous reflection, self-evaluation and self-improvement
- be able to make decisions on the basis of rigorous and independent thought, taking into account ethical and professional issues
- be able to use collaboration and debate effectively to test, modify and strengthen their own views
- be intellectually curious and able to sustain intellectual interest
- be able to respond effectively to unfamiliar problems in unfamiliar contexts

C. Communication
Graduates of the University will recognise and value communication as the tool for negotiating and creating new understanding, collaborating with others, and furthering their own learning. This may be understood in terms of the following:
- make effective use of oral, written and visual means to critique, negotiate, create and communicate understanding
- use communication as a tool for collaborating and relating to others
- further their own learning through effective use of the full range of communication approaches
- seek and value open feedback to inform genuine self-awareness
- recognise the benefits of communicating with those beyond their immediate environments
- use effective communication to articulate their skills as identified through self-reflection

D. Personal Effectiveness
Graduates of the University will be able to effect change and be responsive to the situations and environments in which they operate. This may be understood in terms of the following:
- appreciate and use talents constructively, demonstrating self-discipline, motivation, adaptability, persistence and professionalism
- be able to manage risk while initiating and managing change
- be able to flexibly transfer their knowledge, learning, skills and abilities from one context to another
- understand social, cultural, global and environmental responsibilities and issues
- be able to work effectively with others, capitalising on their different thinking, experience and skills.

Keywordstraceability,food-labelling,food fraud,food crime,DNA fingerprinting,whole-genome sequencing
Contacts
Course organiserMr Alessandro Seguino
Tel: (0131 6)508827
Email: alex.seguino@ed.ac.uk
Course secretaryMs Natalie Honeyman
Tel: (0131 6)51 3194
Email: Natalie.Honeyman@ed.ac.uk
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