Environmental Health Science Department
Food Safety
Assignment Report of Dr. Reto Battaglia,
battaglia food safety systems gmbh
dipl. chem. ETH, CChem FRSC,
Chartered Swiss Food Chemist
Polytechnic of Namibia, Windhoek
28 February, 2011 – 11 March, 2011
download report (pdf)
Upon arrival
Based on the experience of my predecessors Dr. R. Schmitt and Ms. Janine Rey, the scope of my lectures was discussed in depth with the staff of the EHS department in the months and weeks before my assignment. Thus I felt very well prepared and looked confidently forward to my stay at Windhoek. My subject was Food Safety and Quality Management, and I prepared a total of ca. 20 lectures.
My arrival in Windhoek surpassed my expectations in many ways: an immaculate planning of the trip, a driver to pick me up at the airport, a warm welcome by the staff and a spacious apartment to live in.
Teaching experience
The contact with the students – I was teaching almost exclusively the 4th year – was a very rewarding experience in many ways. Thanks to the fact that there were only 10 students, an intense and lively teaching style was possible. I encouraged the students to interrupt and cooperate in many ways. This real-life experience was of course a very welcome source of lively discussions – and the information provided by the students gave me valuable insight into the reality of food safety in Namibia. This "hear-say" impression was confirmed and illustrated vividly during excursions which the EHS department was organising for us.
Lessons learned
We visited an EU-registered abattoir as well as a small rural abattoir and a medium-sized dairy, and, as a special treat, the brand-new supermarket METRO (not identical with the German Metro), which includes a butcher's shop where fresh meat products as well as marinated, ready-to-cook meats are prepared, a ba-kery and a Sushi-bar!
In this supermarket, the students received information about logistics and quality management at the front and in direct contact with the consumer. The shop would certainly be the envy of many European retailers: the first sight of so many wonderful fruit and vegetables, the lavish display of fresh food, the meat display, cheese (even original Swiss Emmentaler!) and bakery products make the mouth of anyone water!
In the dairy, the students obtained for the first time in their education an idea of a microbiological analysis and saw a Petri dish! A deeper education in food microbiology, combined with practical courses will therefore be necessary as well as lessons about the chemical nature of food ingredients, additives, contaminants etc.
It was astonishing and encouraging to experience the eagerness of the students and their ability to grasp the essentials of complex food safety situations quickly! Apparently the staff of the Poly has been very successful in building up an excellent relationship with the food industry – otherwise there would have been no possibilities for such interesting, open and highly educative visits.
The final test consisted of an open-book session, whereby the students were put in the position of a quality manager in a food factory. They had to describe food safety systems, apply their knowledge in a realistic situation and respond to accidents and complaints. They all did from "just ok" to "very well". This outcome was very satisfying not only for the students but also for me!
Looking into the future
I hope very much that I will be able to teach at the Poly again. Then I would extend my stay and start with a one week basic course in food chemistry and analysis. This would undoubtedly add value to the course and prepare the ground for the understanding of the subsequent topics.
Wetzikon, March 2011