PHPS40610
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Academic Year 2025/2026
Risk Analysis in Food Safety (PHPS40610)
Subject: : Public Health & Population Sci
College: : Health & Agricultural Sciences
School: : Public Hlth, Phys & Sports Sci
Level: : 4 (Masters)
Credits: : 5
Module Coordinator: : Professor Séamus Fanning
Trimester: : Autumn
Mode of Delivery: : Blended
Internship Module: : No
How will I be graded? : Letter grades
Curricular information is subject to change.
Risk analysis is integral to Food Safety. It is composed of three elements; Risk Assessment; Risk Management & Risk Communication. This module will largely focus on risk assessment associated with biological hazards and will include some focus on chemical hazards also. It will present a structured and detailed description of both defined and emerging risks to public health associated with the modern food chain. Some examples of important food-associated biological, chemical and other hazards will be provided. Modern scientific approaches to detect and trace food-borne bacterial zoonotic agents will be highlighted, including the use of whole genome sequencing (WGS)-mediated methods.
About this Module
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What will I learn?
Learning Outcomes:
On completion of this module students should be able to: Relate the contribution of food-borne microorganisms and other biological/chemical hazards to the emergence of disease; Understand the application of modern diagnostic methods for rapid detection & surveillance of biological hazards along the food chain; Acquire an overview of emerging infectious diseases and their impact on public health; Review the current methods of epidemiological analysis and how it relates to risk assessment. Have some knowledge of how risk assessment becomes transposed into food law.
Indicative Module Content:
Introduction to food safety and surveillance methods; these lectures provide a broad introduction to regulatory science/food safety and describe the theory underpinning and application of bacterial genome sequences to assess risk to human health;\ \ Examples of selected food-borne zoonotic bacterial and viral hazards; linking to the earlier lectures, the following group of topics will aim to provide students with an understanding of some of the important and commonly encountered bacterial food-borne hazards. It is important to gain an understanding of the pathogen and how this must be controlled, to protect human health;\ \ Chemical- and toxin-related food safety; chemicals (natural and nonnatural) along with various toxins pose a rick to public health. In this section of the module students will learn about various chemical and toxin hazards. Description and detection of food fraud will also be presented, together with sampling methods designed to underpin rick characterization. A lecture on CRISPR and its application to food safety will also be highlighted;\ \ Food law and outbreak investigation; an introduction to food law and how this is applied in the context of regulation to investigate outbreaks\ \
How will I learn?
Student Effort Hours:
| Student Effort Type | Hours |
|---|---|
| Specified Learning Activities | 76 |
| Lectures | 24 |
| --- | --- |
| Total | 100 |
\
Approaches to Teaching and Learning:
The academic content associated with this module will be delivered as formal lectures both in-person and at times on-line. In addition associated supportive reading will be indicated.\
Am I eligible to take this module?
Requirements, Exclusions and Recommendations
Learning Requirements:\
None
Learning Exclusions:\
None
Learning Recommendations:\
None
\
Module Requisites and Incompatibles
Not applicable to this module. \ \
How will I be assessed?
Assessment Strategy
| Description | Timing | Component Scale | Must Pass Component | % of Final Grade | In Module Component Repeat Offered |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Exam (Online): A mid-trimester examination will be held, approximately 6-weeks after the commencement of the module. This assessment will cover all material presented, along with any recommended additional reading t | Week 6 | Graded | Yes | 20 | Yes |
| Exam (In-person): Terminal examination at the end of the trimester [1 h duration] will be an MCQ paper. The examination will be held in a designated UCD examination centre and will include negative marking | End of trimester Duration: 1 hr(s) | Graded | Yes | 80 | Yes |
\
Carry forward of passed components
No
\
What happens if I fail?
| Resit In | Terminal Exam |
|---|---|
| Spring | Yes - 1 Hour |
Please see Student Jargon Buster for more information about remediation types and timing. \
Assessment feedback
Feedback Strategy/Strategies
• Feedback individually to students, post-assessment\ • Group/class feedback, post-assessment\
How will my Feedback be Delivered?
Not yet recorded.
Associated Staff
| Name | Role |
|---|---|
| Charlene Bennett | Lecturer / Co-Lecturer |
| Professor Paul Whyte | Lecturer / Co-Lecturer |
| Dr Suriya Akter | Tutor |
| Dr Maitiu Marmion | Tutor |
When is this module offered?
Timetabling information is displayed only for guidance purposes, relates to the current Academic Year only and is subject to change.
| Autumn | Lecture | Offering 1 | Week(s) - Autumn: All Weeks | Thurs 15:00 - 15:50 |
| Autumn | Lecture | Offering 1 | Week(s) - Autumn: All Weeks | Wed 09:00 - 09:50 |