The course “Food Hygiene, Safety and Risk Assessment” is a specialized scientific-background course and aims to train students in the basic principles of food hygiene and food safety, hazard identification and management, and introductory risk analysis and risk assessment. The course covers the relationship between the concepts of food quality, hygiene and safety, as well as the distinction between microbiological safety and microbiological quality. The main food hazards are examined, namely biological, chemical and physical hazards, with emphasis on pathogenic bacteria, fungi, viruses and parasites, mycotoxins, biotoxins, allergens, chemical contaminants, agricultural and veterinary drug residues, heavy metals, dioxins, food-contact materials and foreign bodies. Particular emphasis is placed on sources of contamination and cross-contamination, the basic rules of good hygiene and good manufacturing practice, prerequisite programmes, HACCP principles, hazard analysis, control measures and critical control points. In parallel, the basic concepts of risk analysis are introduced, namely risk assessment, risk management and risk communication.

Upon successful completion of the course, students will be able to define and relate the concepts of food quality, hygiene and safety, distinguish microbiological safety from microbiological quality, identify biological, chemical and physical hazards, and interpret their significance for consumer safety. In addition, they will be able to describe basic sources of contamination and cross-contamination, understand the role of good hygiene practice and prerequisite programmes, apply the basic principles of HACCP, and propose appropriate preventive or corrective measures to reduce hazards to acceptable levels. Students will also become familiar with the interpretation of data from foodborne diseases and outbreaks, the use of basic computational tools for predicting microbial behaviour, and the principles of risk assessment, risk management and risk communication. The theoretical teaching is supported by laboratory and computer-based exercises, with emphasis on solving food-safety problems and making evidence-based decisions.