Rules and regulations
Course staff
| Name |
Location |
Phone |
Fax |
Email |
| Professor Ken Buckle |
Room 103
Building B8a |
9385 4378 |
9385 5931 |
k.buckle@unsw.edu.au |
| A/Professor Julian Cox |
Room 105
Building B8a |
9385 5665 |
9385 5931 |
julian.cox@unsw.edu.au |
| Ms Sharon Debreczeni |
Room 102
Building B8a |
9385 4366 |
9385 5931 |
s.debreczeni@unsw.edu.au |
Professor Buckle and A/Professor Cox serve as co-convenors for the course, with the latter serving as the primary
contact in relation to any questions you may have regarding the course. Ms
Debreczeni acts as the administrative contact for the course; receipts and other
forms should be returned to her.
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General course information
Outline
This course consists of a series of structured visits to companies between
Sydney and Melbourne, and is designed to allow students to evaluate theoretical knowledge
gained through various courses in their undergraduate program in the context of
Australian food and beverage industries.
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Objectives
Upon satisfactory completion of this course, students should have:
- gained insight into the operations of various companies involved in the
Australian food and beverage industries
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Requisite knowledge and relationships to other courses
This course serves as a 'capstone', allowing students the opportunity to
relate theoretical knowledge and laboratory-based practical knowledge gained in
earlier courses to the 'real world'. Ideally, the course should be undertaken
only after completion of Year 3 courses in food science and technology
(FOOD1360, 1370, 1380, 1390 2320, 2330 and 2340), though
other students may be allowed to participate on a case-by-case basis, with
permission of the course supervisors.
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Target students and career prospects
This course is compulsory for students enrolled in Program 3060 BSc Food
Science and Technology, but may also be undertaken by students in other
programs, including those in the BSc program undertaking the major in Food
Science and Nutrition. Students not enrolled in Program 3060 must obtain
permission to enrol in the course from the course coordinators. As this course
provides direct exposure to various organisations within the Australian food
industry, it would be of interest to anyone contemplating that industry sector
as their career path.
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Structure
The course consists of an intensive 10-day field trip, visiting a range of
sites undertaking of food and beverage production or affiliated activities.
Assessment of the course involves evaluation of a portfolio of work, including
notes taken during the trip and an essay, as detailed below.
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Assessment
The assessment for this course involves production of a portfolio consisting
of a compilation of notes taken at each of the site visits and a comparative
essay, as described below. Assessment for this course is qualitative
(Satisfactory/Fail).
Details of assessment tasks
For the essay, you must describe, in a comparative manner, your impression and understanding of the Australian food industry, with respect to
the organisations visited. Wherever possible, consider the aspects of operations listed below, and draw on examples, as appropriate,
from as many visits as possible. The essay should be of 3,000-5,000 words in length (as an indication).
The due date for the essay is March 24. The essay may be submitted
earlier, but will NOT be accepted after the due date.
Aspects of operations that may be observed or discussed during the site visits (these should be used as a guide:
- Contact details: Name and address of organisation, name/s of contact person/s
- Organisation structure: Is this organisation a public organisation, private organisation, cooperative, or controlled by a statutory
marketing authority?
- Ownership: Is the organisation wholly Australian, wholly foreign (if so, which country/ies?), or partly Australian (if so, then what
percentage?)?
- Raw materials: Food ingredients, non-food materials? Where do they come from?
- Products: What is the range of products produced? To what markets are these products sold?
- Production: Were different areas (eg raw material receival, production, product dispatch, labs, etc.) easily identified? What
processing lines were operating? Name one extra piece of machinery or change in process that would have increased the productivity of
any of the processing lines. How is product conveyed around the factory? How is heat conveyed around the factory?
- Sanitation: Is the plant cleaned at the end of each production run, at then end of each shift, once a day, once a week? Describe the
cleaning and sanitation procedure. Do you consider cleaning and sanitation to be adequate, in need of improvement or poor? Why?
- Waste products: Does the factory produce liquid, solid or gaseous waste, or a combination? Is there any on-site treatment? Are any
wastes re-used? If so, what are they used for? Outline any recycling procedures. What waste leaves this site? Where does it go?
- Labour: Proportion of professional people to factory staff? Seasonality of labour? Gender balance? Staff training? Staff attitude to
the workplace? Is the plant largely labour-intensive or highly automated?
- Safety: Is the organisation safety conscious? What is the evidence? What safety considerations can be seen in the design of
facilities or equipment, or the behaviour of personnel?
- Research and Development (R&D): Is R&D carried out? Has it a major or minor role? Just product development or is basic scientific
research done? Is R&D laboratory-based, factory-based, or both?
- Quality Assurance (QA): Is the QA program/system non-existent, limited, or extensive? Certified? Does the organisation perform tests
in its own laboratory or through an external (contract) laboratory? Is the laboratory accredited? How are consumer complaints handled?
- Sensory analysis: Is it performed? For what purpose/s is it used? What properties are evaluated? Who does it? What techniques are
used? Are facilities adequate?
- Nutrition: Is there a nutritionist on staff? Are there nutritional claims made for the product? How is it ensured that nutritional
claims are met?
- Sales and marketing: Is there a marketing department? Is there interaction between marketing and R&D? Is consumer research done? If
so, by organisation staff or external consultants?
We would also like to have your feedback on your experience of the visits. This should be provided in addition to the essay. Consider
the following:
- did you understand what was happening in each organisation? If not, were you unable to hear or not given the opportunity to gather relevant information?
- was the information given too technical or not technical enough? What was your impression of each visit?
- do you have any other comments on any of the visits or the overall experience?
You must also provide your notes taken during the trip. In order to ensure the security of your notes, do NOT use loose sheets of
paper; a proper notebook should be used. Your notes, along with your essay, will be returned to you during Session 1.
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Resources
Texts and reference materials
There are no textbooks for this course. Students who wish to benefit fully from the site visits may wish to revise their notes from
previous food science courses or consult one or more general food science texts from the UNSW Library prior to the trip.
Forms
There are a number of forms that must be completed prior to the field trip, to make payments and to provide information that assists
in maintaining your health and safety during the trip:
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Trip details
Itinerary
The program of visits is presented below, and is current as at February 2, 2005.
Note that all times for both travel and site visits, as well as the mileages,
are approximate and subject to change, depending on company requirements, road
conditions or other such circumstances. In particular, note the time of
departure from UNSW. The coach should be at UNSW (Gate 2) by 12:30pm and we
expect all participants to be at Gate 2 by 1pm, LATEST. On a lighter
note, the coach should have at least a video player, and may even have a DVD
player, so feel free to bring along some movies.
| Date |
Time |
Activity |
Km |
Overnight |
| 13 Feb (Sunday) |
1330-1730 |
Sydney-Bathurst |
230 |
Bathurst |
14 Feb (Monday)
|
0830-1100
1100-1700 |
Masterfoods, Bathurst (1)
Bathurst-Leeton (with lunch)
|
395 |
Leeton |
| 15 Feb (Tuesday) |
0830-0900
0900-1030
1030-1100
1100-1230
1230-1430
1430-1700 |
Leeton-Yanco
Yanco Agricultural College
(2)
Yanco-Leeton
Berri NSW (3)
Lunch
Sunrice (4) |
5
5 |
Leeton |
16 Feb
(Wednesday) |
0830-0900
0900-1030
1030-1230
1230-1245
1245-1330
1330-1630
1630-1730 |
Leeton-Hanwood
Brian Sainty - Prune drying
(5)
McWilliams Wines (6)
Hanwood-Griffith
Lunch
Hanwood-Wagga
CSU cheesemaking (7) |
60
5
200 |
Wagga Wagga |
| 17 Feb (Thursday) |
0830-1130
1130-1230
1230-1530
1530-?? |
Wagga Wagga-Rutherglen
Lunch
Uncle Toby's R&D Centre
(8)
Rutherglen-Shepparton |
191
134 |
Shepparton |
18 Feb
(Friday) |
0800-0830
0830-1000
1000-1030
1030-1230
1230-1300
1300-1400
1400-1630 |
Shepparton-Water Authority
GVR Water Authority (9)
Water Authority-Tatura
Unilever Foods (10)
Tatura-Mooroopna
lunch
SPC-Ardmona (11)
Mooroopna-Shepparton |
10
22
16
5 |
Shepparton |
| 19 Feb (Saturday) |
0900-1000
1000-1300
1300-1430 |
Shepparton-Nagambie
Chateau Tahbilk (12)
Nagambie-Melbourne |
62
125 |
Melbourne |
20 Feb
(Sunday) |
early-late |
Melbourne at your leisure |
|
Melbourne |
21 Feb
(Monday) |
0830-0900
0900-1200
1200-1630 |
Melbourne-Port Melbourne
Kraft Foods
(13)
Ringwood-Albury |
30
280 |
Albury-Wodonga |
22 Feb
(Tuesday) |
0815-0830
0830-1130
1130-1800 |
Albury-Wodonga
Masterfoods Wodonga (14)
Wodonga-Bega (with lunch) |
10
440 |
Bega |
23 Feb
(Wednesday) |
0830-1030
1030-1430
1430-1600
1600-1800 |
Bega Cheese (15)
Bega-Bomaderry (with
lunch)
Shoalhaven Starches
(16)
Nowra-Sydney |
290
120 |
Home Sweet Home! |
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Accommodation
In order that your carers or other interested parties are able to contact you, details of each of the overnight stops have been provided.
In order to keep the cost of the trip as low as possible, accommodation will be
shared, with most rooms at most locations requiring two persons per room but, on
occasion only, three or four persons in some rooms. Note that each motel will
offer a continental-style breakfast.
| Location |
Details of
Accommodation |
| Bathurst |
Gold Panner Motor Inn
Sydney Rd, Bathurst
P: (02) 6331 4444
F: (02) 6331 4270 |
| Leeton |
Motel Riverina
1 Yanarco
Avenue, Leeton
P: (02) 6953 2955
F: (02) 6953 2963 |
| Wagga Wagga |
Australian Homestead Motor Inn
3791 Sturt Highway, Gumly Gumly
P: (02) 6922 7256
F: (02) 6922 7205 |
| Shepparton |
Paradise Lakes Motel
7685
Goulburn Valley Highway, Shepparton
P: (03) 5823 1888
F: (03) 5823
1819 |
| Melbourne |
Unilodge on Swanston
339
Swanston Walk, Melbourne
P: (03) 9224 7888
F: (03) 9224 7777 |
| Albury |
Commodore Motor Inn
515 Kiewa
St, Albury
P: (02) 6021 3344
F: (02) 6041 2947 |
| Bega |
Princes Motel
Cnr Princes
Highway and Auckland St, Bega
P: (02) 6492 1944
F: (02) 6492 1209 |
Participants
A list of all participants has been provided to assist the companies in preparing for the visits and for allocating rooms at each
overnight stop.
| Name |
Gender |
| Professor Ken BUCKLE
(supervisor) |
M |
| Associate Professor Julian COX
(supervisor) |
M |
| Jennifer ADIYUWONO |
F |
| Christina ASHER |
F |
| Carl AYE |
M |
| Belinda |
F |
| Rani BERRY |
F |
| Joanne BROAD |
F |
| Melanie BROWN |
F |
| Zhong CAI |
F |
| Man Ling CHAU |
F |
| Kuan Hua CHEN |
M |
| Vanessa Yin Wen CHOO |
F |
| Joanne CHOW |
F |
| Christina CHUNG |
F |
| Nina CLEEVE-EDWARDS |
F |
| Melissa CURRIE |
F |
| Claudia HARDIJANTO |
F |
| Agnes HARIANTO |
F |
| Maria KAPNOPOULOS |
F |
| Stella KIM |
F |
| Katerina KONAKOFF |
F |
| Edward LAWES |
M |
| Angela LY |
F |
| Andrew McKELLAR |
M |
| Tracey MIDDLETON |
F |
| Karina MOON |
F |
| Thi Minh Hien NGUYEN |
F |
| Thi Thu Trang NGUYEN |
F |
| Kate NICHOLSON |
F |
| Friska OLIVIA |
F |
| Ferliana PANTJA |
F |
| Clarisa PRASETHYO |
F |
| Irene SETIOKUSUMO |
F |
| Shi Yun TAN |
F |
| Hollis TANTANG |
M |
| Stephanie Mei Mei TAY |
F |
| Sze Wen TEOH |
F |
| Kai Ling WAN |
F |
| Huey Charng WONG |
F |
| Salvi YAMIN |
F |
| Yen Yi YEOW |
F |
| Stanley YU |
M |
For the benefit of all involved in each site visit, certain rules MUST be followed. These are to keep risk to
all personnel as well as to product to an absoluate minimum, and reflect
directly professional practice in the workplace. Students who repeatedly disregard these rules,
including being properly prepared for visits, will be
deemed to have failed the course (we'll apply a 'three strikes and you're out' rule). As each site has slightly
different rules, those that follow are a composite
that represent the most common requirements. There may be additional specific requirements raised by staff at
each site.
Specific rules include:
- Clothing (including personal protective equipment)
- NO jewellery (the only exception being one plain band,
such as a wedding band)
- NO skirts or shorts (full-length pants), NO open arms (though
arms will be covered by dust/laboratory coats, so short-sleeved should be
acceptable) and no visible chest hair. You should bring your clean
laboratory coat with you, though most sites will provide some form of coat
for you to wear.
- NO open shoes, and NO heels greater than 2cm. Ideally,
shoes should be steel-capped boots (for example, Sunrice require them, but
should be able to provide them for the group), but fully enclosed and impervious shoes
(leather preferred) are acceptable for most visits. These requirements are
to protect your feet from drop damage and/or to accommodate use of sanitary
footbaths at some locations.
- Each student will be provided with a pair of safety glasses for
the duration of the trip, which must be returned at the end of the
trip. Requirements for their use will vary from site to site, but
have them available.
- For sites requiring it, hearing protection, in the form of
disposable earplugs, will be provided on-site. It is useful to
retain these from early visits for later inspections.
- Typically, hair and beard nets will be provided at each site. It is useful to retain these from
early visits for later inspections.
Once again, individual companies may have specific requirements and we will endeavour to make you aware of
these at least one day ahead of the visit.
Lastly, please remember that you represent Food Science and Technology,
the School of Chemical Engineering and Industrial Chemistry, and UNSW and
you are expected to behave accordingly. Failure to meet a reasonable level
of behaviour during visits will lead to exclusion from factory visits and,
potentially, failure in the course (note the 'three strikes' rule, above).
Each company goes to considerable time and effort to organise out visit, and
the best reward we can give them is to show interest and behave
appropriately. Any failure to meet these obligations may jeopardise future
visits, so please consider all of your colleagues (even those yet to come!).
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