Overview
Every year, millions of Australians suffer illness associated with food and it has been estimated that every Australian will experience an episode of foodborne illness every four years. In this unit, students will learn about methods of safe food preparation and the importance of food safety in commercial and regulatory contexts. Students will learn to identify common food contaminants, the sources of these contaminants and the epidemiology of food-borne illness using case studies. During residential school, skills will be developed in the identification and evaluation of food safety hazards and ways to control these hazards. An important skill developed in the unit is the application of Australian food legislation to the risk assessment of food premises. Students will also develop an appreciation of emerging issues such as food security, food allergies and intolerances, genetically modifed foods and organic food production.
Details
Pre-requisites or Co-requisites
Prerequisite: 48 credit points
Important note: Students enrolled in a subsequent unit who failed their pre-requisite unit, should drop the subsequent unit before the census date or within 10 working days of Fail grade notification. Students who do not drop the unit in this timeframe cannot later drop the unit without academic and financial liability. See details in the Assessment Policy and Procedure (Higher Education Coursework).
Offerings For Term 2 - 2026
Attendance Requirements
All on-campus students are expected to attend scheduled classes - in some units, these classes are identified as a mandatory (pass/fail) component and attendance is compulsory. International students, on a student visa, must maintain a full time study load and meet both attendance and academic progress requirements in each study period (satisfactory attendance for International students is defined as maintaining at least an 80% attendance record).
Recommended Student Time Commitment
Each 6-credit Undergraduate unit at CQUniversity requires an overall time commitment of an average of 12.5 hours of study per week, making a total of 150 hours for the unit.
Class Timetable
Assessment Overview
Assessment Grading
This is a graded unit: your overall grade will be calculated from the marks or grades for each assessment task, based on the relative weightings shown in the table above. You must obtain an overall mark for the unit of at least 50%, or an overall grade of 'pass' in order to pass the unit. If any 'pass/fail' tasks are shown in the table above they must also be completed successfully ('pass' grade). You must also meet any minimum mark requirements specified for a particular assessment task, as detailed in the 'assessment task' section (note that in some instances, the minimum mark for a task may be greater than 50%). Consult the University's Grades and Results Policy for more details of interim results and final grades.
All University policies are available on the CQUniversity Policy site.
You may wish to view these policies:
- Grades and Results Policy
- Assessment Policy and Procedure (Higher Education Coursework)
- Review of Grade Procedure
- Student Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure
- Monitoring Academic Progress (MAP) Policy and Procedure - Domestic Students
- Monitoring Academic Progress (MAP) Policy and Procedure - International Students
- Student Refund and Credit Balance Policy and Procedure
- Student Feedback - Compliments and Complaints Policy and Procedure
- Information and Communications Technology Acceptable Use Policy and Procedure
This list is not an exhaustive list of all University policies. The full list of University policies are available on the CQUniversity Policy site.
Feedback, Recommendations and Responses
Every unit is reviewed for enhancement each year. At the most recent review, the following staff and student feedback items were identified and recommendations were made.
Feedback from Student evaluation
Further clarification regarding the assessment is required.
Refine the assessment structure, particularly the legislative requirements.
Feedback from Personal reflection
There is an anticipated increase in international student enrolments for T2, 2026.
Revisions to the marking criteria will need to be considered.
Feedback from Student evaluation
Review the structure of the weekly teaching content.
Review the need for additional tutorials and provision of more supportive learning resources.
- Describe conditions conducive to safe food preparation.
- Identify common food contaminants, the sources of these contaminants and their potential health impacts.
- Identify food safety hazards; evaluate the risk of these hazards; and develop appropriate control strategies..
- Interpret and apply food safety legislation in assessing food premise applications and conducting regulatory compliance assessments.
- Discuss contemporary food safety issues.
Alignment of Assessment Tasks to Learning Outcomes
| Assessment Tasks | Learning Outcomes | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | |
| 1 - Online Quiz(zes) - 25% | |||||
| 2 - Portfolio - 35% | |||||
| 3 - Written Assessment - 40% | |||||
Alignment of Graduate Attributes to Learning Outcomes
| Graduate Attributes | Learning Outcomes | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | |
| 1 - Communication | |||||
| 2 - Problem Solving | |||||
| 3 - Critical Thinking | |||||
| 4 - Information Literacy | |||||
| 5 - Team Work | |||||
| 6 - Information Technology Competence | |||||
| 7 - Cross Cultural Competence | |||||
| 8 - Ethical practice | |||||
| 9 - Social Innovation | |||||
| 10 - First Nations Knowledges | |||||
| 11 - Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Cultures | |||||
Alignment of Assessment Tasks to Graduate Attributes
| Assessment Tasks | Graduate Attributes | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | |
| 1 - Online Quiz(zes) - 25% | |||||||||||
| 2 - Portfolio - 35% | |||||||||||
| 3 - Written Assessment - 40% | |||||||||||
Textbooks
Food Safety Handbook
- Edition: electronic resource (2005)
- Authors: Ronald H. Schmidt & Gary E. Rodrick
- John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
- Hoboken Hoboken , New York , USA
- ISBN: 9780471432272
The eBook is available to view through the Library website. If you prefer to study with a hardcopy text, you can purchase one at the University Shop website here: https://shop.cqu.edu.au/students/textbook-search/ (search using the Unit code).
- Binding: Hardcover
IT Resources
- CQUniversity Student Email
- Internet
- Unit Website (Moodle)
All submissions for this unit must use the referencing styles below:
For further information, see the Assessment Tasks.
d.trott@cqu.edu.au
Week 1
Begin Date: 13 Jul 2026Module/Topic
Introduction to Food safety
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Week 2
Begin Date: 20 Jul 2026Module/Topic
Food microbiology/Food borne illness
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Week 3
Begin Date: 27 Jul 2026Module/Topic
Food allergies & intolerances
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Week 4
Begin Date: 03 Aug 2026Module/Topic
Food safety procedures
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Week 5
Begin Date: 10 Aug 2026Module/Topic
Food law in Australia
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Assessment 1: Quiz opens Friday 9:00AM
Week 6
Begin Date: 17 Aug 2026Module/Topic
Introduction to HACCP and food safety programs
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Vacation Week
Begin Date: 24 Aug 2026Module/Topic
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Week 7
Begin Date: 31 Aug 2026Module/Topic
Food Recalls
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Week 8
Begin Date: 07 Sep 2026Module/Topic
Food Labelling
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Week 9
Begin Date: 14 Sep 2026Module/Topic
Genetically modified food/Organic food
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Week 10
Begin Date: 21 Sep 2026Module/Topic
Food security
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Week 11
Begin Date: 28 Sep 2026Module/Topic
Residential School for EH/OHS students
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Residential School
28-30 September 2026
Final day of res school will finish by 3pm to allow students to catch later afternoon/evening flights
Week 12
Begin Date: 05 Oct 2026Module/Topic
Review
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Assessment task 3: Residential School/ Tutorial Portfolio Due: Week 12 Friday (9 Oct 2026) 9:00 am AEST
Exam Week
Begin Date: 12 Oct 2026Module/Topic
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Vacation/Exam Week
Begin Date: 19 Oct 2026Module/Topic
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
This unit is delivered in flipped classroom mode, with learning materials provided via the Moodle site with opportunities for active learning being provided in tutorials. Students are expected to engage with the learning materials independently before attending tutorials.
Students enrolled on an International Student Visa must attend a minimum of 80% of scheduled face-to-face tutorials on-campus at Melbourne. The tutorials are not compulsory for domestic students, however you are strongly encouraged to attend and participate in the online tutorials provided for you. Tutorials provide a structured opportunity to explore, discuss and clarify unit concepts, learning activities, and assessment tasks. Generally speaking, the tutorials will tend to focus on opportunities to consolidate understanding of unit learning material, apply unit concepts to practical examples, develop assessment and otherwise support learning.
This unit has a residential school, only compulsory for EH/OHS students. Information about assessment tasks relevant to the topics covered during this residential school, will be provided on Moodle. All other students not required to attend the residential school will have compulsory tutorials to attend which will have associated assessment tasks. More information about these tasks will be provided on Moodle.
1 Online Quiz(zes)
- There is no time limit to completing the quiz and you can save your quiz and return to it later (while the quiz is available).
- You will get your final result from the quiz showing which questions you got right or wrong after the closing date, not before. This will let you know what areas you need to study/revise.
- You should choose the most correct answer.
The 72-hour grace period does not apply to this assessment.
Level of GenAI use allowed:
Level 1: You must not use Al at any point during the assessment. You must demonstrate your core skills and knowledge.
1
Week 6 Friday (21 Aug 2026) 9:00 am AEST
Week 6 Friday (21 Aug 2026)
This quiz will assess the student's knowledge of the general principals of food microbiology, food allergies & intolerances, and food safety.
- Describe conditions conducive to safe food preparation.
- Identify common food contaminants, the sources of these contaminants and their potential health impacts.
- Communication
- Information Technology Competence
2 Written Assessment
EH & OHS STUDENTS: Assessment of Food Business Application
As an Environmental Health Officer employed by a Local Government Authority, you have been provided with a food business application from a Fixed Premise Food Business. Assess this application for compliance with relevant Queensland state legislation. Write a report detailing the findings of your assessment and your recommendations. Your report needs to be written as a formal response to the applicant, including an assessment of the food safety program in the form required by the Food Act [Qld] 2006. You do not need to include an executive summary. Instead, include a cover letter addressed to the applicant advising them of your decision and relevant recommendations. The food business application, a template for a suitable cover letter and the written advice form required under the Food Act [Qld] 2006, will be provided on Moodle.
ALL OTHER STUDENTS: Development of a demonstration plan for a community group
From time to time as a nutritionist, you may be required to deliver cooking demonstrations for the benefit of relevant community groups. For this assessment task, you have been asked to address an audience of school students or some other community group (of your choosing) to demonstrate how to prepare a nutritious two course meal. For this assessment task, you should prepare a demonstration plan outlining how you will incorporate food safety principles into your demonstration including your requirements for the venue where you will deliver the demonstration. Further information will be provided on Moodle.
Level of GenAI use allowed:
Level 1: You must not use Al at any point during the assessment. You must demonstrate your core skills and knowledge.
Week 9 Friday (18 Sept 2026) 9:00 am AEST
Week 11 Friday (2 Oct 2026)
Your submission will be graded according to the following criteria. A more detailed assessment rubric will be provided on Moodle.
- Relevance (30%)
- Validity (50%)
- Organisation (10%)
- Presentation (10%)
- Identify food safety hazards; evaluate the risk of these hazards; and develop appropriate control strategies..
- Interpret and apply food safety legislation in assessing food premise applications and conducting regulatory compliance assessments.
- Discuss contemporary food safety issues.
- Communication
- Problem Solving
- Critical Thinking
- Ethical practice
3 Portfolio
In residential school / tutorials, you will participate in a variety of activities related to food safety. You will be required to submit written assessment for these activities in an appropriate format dependent on the type of activity. More information will be provided on Moodle and during residential school/tutorials.
Level of GenAI use allowed:
Level 2: You may use Al for planning, idea development, and research. Your final submission should show how you have developed and refined these ideas.
If you have used Artificial Intelligence (AI) in any way during the preparation of this task, you MUST identify which tool you used and how it was used.
Week 12 Friday (9 Oct 2026) 9:00 am AEST
Vacation/Exam Week Friday (23 Oct 2026)
9:00AM
Your submission will be graded according to the following criteria. A more detailed assessment rubric will be provided on Moodle.
- Relevance (30%)
- Validity (50%)
- Organisation (10%)
- Presentation (10%)
- Describe conditions conducive to safe food preparation.
- Identify common food contaminants, the sources of these contaminants and their potential health impacts.
- Identify food safety hazards; evaluate the risk of these hazards; and develop appropriate control strategies..
- Interpret and apply food safety legislation in assessing food premise applications and conducting regulatory compliance assessments.
- Discuss contemporary food safety issues.
- Communication
- Problem Solving
- Critical Thinking
- Team Work
- Ethical practice
As a CQUniversity student you are expected to act honestly in all aspects of your academic work.
Any assessable work undertaken or submitted for review or assessment must be your own work. Assessable work is any type of work you do to meet the assessment requirements in the unit, including draft work submitted for review and feedback and final work to be assessed.
When you use the ideas, words or data of others in your assessment, you must thoroughly and clearly acknowledge the source of this information by using the correct referencing style for your unit. Using others’ work without proper acknowledgement may be considered a form of intellectual dishonesty.
Participating honestly, respectfully, responsibly, and fairly in your university study ensures the CQUniversity qualification you earn will be valued as a true indication of your individual academic achievement and will continue to receive the respect and recognition it deserves.
As a student, you are responsible for reading and following CQUniversity’s policies, including the Student Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure. This policy sets out CQUniversity’s expectations of you to act with integrity, examples of academic integrity breaches to avoid, the processes used to address alleged breaches of academic integrity, and potential penalties.
What is a breach of academic integrity?
A breach of academic integrity includes but is not limited to plagiarism, self-plagiarism, collusion, cheating, contract cheating, and academic misconduct. The Student Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure defines what these terms mean and gives examples.
Why is academic integrity important?
A breach of academic integrity may result in one or more penalties, including suspension or even expulsion from the University. It can also have negative implications for student visas and future enrolment at CQUniversity or elsewhere. Students who engage in contract cheating also risk being blackmailed by contract cheating services.
Where can I get assistance?
For academic advice and guidance, the Academic Learning Centre (ALC) can support you in becoming confident in completing assessments with integrity and of high standard.
What can you do to act with integrity?
