University of New South Wales undergraduates impress FSANZ with their work

Three undergraduate students of food science and technology at the University of New South Wales recently presented their work to FSANZ staff as part of the agency’s Student Projects Initiative.

FSANZ launched the initiative in 2003 with the aim of encouraging undergraduate and postgraduate students to do research that not only benefits the student but is also relevant to our work. The staff annually develop project ideas and various topics are available for students to take up.

The three UNSW students were Sarah Khau, Alison Woo and Linny Sou. They were completing their fourth year BSc in Food Science and Technology under the direction of FSANZ Fellow Professor Ken Buckle and have worked with FSANZ staff over the last year to complete their projects.

Their presentations on 9 December focussed on:

• the temperature of foods between retail sale and the domestic refrigerator (Sarah)
• lupin products in supermarket foods and the potential for allergenic reactions (Alison)
• a survey of university students regarding beliefs about high-risk Listeria foods (Linny)

For her project Sarah used special I-buttons to measure the variation in temperature of certain high risk foods between consumers buying them and getting them home. She found there is a high degree of variability in consumer shopping and storage habits and that 85 per cent of her 71 participants reported having no thermometer in their fridge.

Alison’s project looked at the number of lupin-containing foods on the Australian market and assessed the literature on issues related to lupin allergy. Alison found that the number of lupin-containing foods on the Australian market appears to be low.

Linny’s presentation used the theory of planned behaviour – which is a theory about the link between attitudes and behaviour - to evaluate university students’ perceptions about foods with a high risk potential for Listeria. Linny’s study demonstrated that social cognition models provide potential avenues to assess food related behavior.

After their presentations the students agreed that the level of guidance provided by FSANZ had been appropriate in helping them carry out their projects. They said they were grateful for the opportunity to consult with FSANZ staff through personal meetings and conversations via e-mail and telephone.

Students at a variety of different study levels have taken on FSANZ student projects. After completing their studies several have successfully applied for positions within FSANZ.

Currently there are projects available within the areas of:

• food technology/microbiology
• toxicology/chemical safety
• consumer behaviour and social sciences
• regulatory analysis
• nutrition

If you are interested in the FSANZ Student Projects Initiative, the current list of student projects is available on our website at: http://www.foodstandards.gov.au/aboutfsanz/studentprojects/index.cfm