STAR EDUCATION FAIR 2018 Importance of food safety and hygiene
“WITH advancing and progressive food science knowledge, there has been a huge and supportive commitment from food science and technology professionals to advancing the science of food, and safe and abundant food supply.
“This will contribute to healthier people globally by having better food safety and quality,” said Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman (UTAR) Department of Agricultural and Food Science head, Dr Ong Mei Kying.
It is important for educational institutions to produce sufficient highly skilled and knowledgeable food scientists and innovators for the food industry.
The Bachelor of Science (Hons) Food Science programme in UTAR nurtures students with the practical understanding of food safety and hygiene practices.
Alongside the fundamental understanding of food science, the programme also enables students to acquire skills that would allow them to analyse, synthesise and integrate knowledge and information, utilise state-ofthe-art laboratory techniques and industrial practice for food science research, and address related problems and challenges.
Through that, students are instilled with a consciousness of their professional and social roles in the changing and technologically oriented world, while encouraging personal and intellectual development.
The comprehensive syllabus and programme structure also equips students with the science framework that teaches the measures to be taken along the entire food chain and to make important decisions for policy development and risk management.
Upon graduating, students can be part of the team that could help establish international standards to promote implementation and importance of public health.
Beyond indoor lessons, the programme also provides students with practical approaches through community projects. Along that line, a Food Safety Awareness Training was organised at the Kampar Campus.
Present were FSc Dean, Assoc Prof Dr Lim Tuck Meng, Department of Agricultural and Food Science head, Dr Ong Mei Kying and staff Dr Ali Yassoralipour, Chung Kok Heung, Dr Lye Huey Shi, Dr Tan Yen Nee and Dr Chang Ying Ping.
External speakers included AC Lam Enterprise food consultants, Lam Ah Chye and Lai Mun Lee, Food Safety and Quality Division of Perak State Health Department food technologist, Poornima Karpayah and Ng Siew Leng from Flowcrete Asia Sdn Bhd.
With the aim to help food industries to upgrade their hygiene and food safety operations and to provide useful links between academics and the industry, the training was participated by UTAR Bachelor of Science (Hons) Food Science and Bachelor of Science (Hons) Biotechnology students and industry players from Liang Kee Farming Sdn Bhd, FY Food Processing Sdn Bhd, Bidor Kwong Heng Sdn Bhd and Se Woh Sauce Factory.
From only 411 students, the university now has about 25,000 students with campuses located in Kampar, Perak, and Bandar Sungai Long, Selangor. UTAR has graduated over 54,000 students since its inaugural convocation in 2005. The university currently offers over 110 programmes.
■ For more details, visit www.utar.edu.my or call 05-468 8888 (Kampar Campus), 03-9086 0288 (Sungai Long Campus).
UTAR’s Open Day will be held on Aug 4 and 5 at its Sungai Long Campus in Bandar Sungai Long and Kampar Campus in Perak. UTAR is also having its extended counselling hours at both campuses daily, 9am–5pm (except for public holidays).
Also visit the UTAR booth at the Star Education Fair.