FB1FSC: Food System Challenges

Module code: FB1FSC

Module provider: Food and Nutritional Sciences; School of Chemistry, Food and Pharmacy

Credits: 20

Level: Level 1 (Certificate)

When you'll be taught: Semester 1

Module convenor: Dr Resty Tocmo, email: r.tocmo@reading.ac.uk

Pre-requisite module(s):

Co-requisite module(s):

Pre-requisite or Co-requisite module(s):

Module(s) excluded:

Placement information: NA

Academic year: 2024/5

Available to visiting students: Yes

Talis reading list: Yes

Last updated: 21 May 2024

Overview

Module aims and purpose

Food security is of global importance and the challenge of feeding a projected 9 billion people in 2050 is immense, particularly in the face of climate change and competition for land use. In this module, you will examine the factors affecting food quality from farm to fork and will explore this along with other issues, such as sustainability, within the wider context of global food security. You will be introduced into a variety of topics such as production methods for animals and plants, interactions with the environment, land use, sustainable food production, sustainable diets and postharvest biology. The aim of the module is to provide you with a basic understanding of the food chain and the principles of food production covering plant and animal derived foods. The module will provide you with an understanding of how issues such as food security, sustainable crop production, food miles, societal/ cultural challenges and different food production methods can affect the quality of food produced and availability to the consumer.

Module learning outcomes

By the end of the module, it is expected that students will be able to:

1. Outline the generic principles of the food chain
2. Critically evaluate different factors that affect sustainability, food productivity and global food security
3. Assess the impact of pre and post-harvest factors on food quality
4. Discuss the global food challenges of the future and potential solutions to these issues

Module content

This module provides a broad overview of the different elements involved in getting food from farm to fork. It will cover topics related to global food challenges, plant and animal production, as well as consumer and food supply chain challenges.

Structure

Teaching and learning methods

The module will be primarily taught through interactive lectures. Flip lecturing will be used alongside podcasts and papers to give students time to assimilate knowledge.

Study hours

At least 40 hours of scheduled teaching and learning activities will be delivered in person, with the remaining hours for scheduled and self-scheduled teaching and learning activities delivered either in person or online. You will receive further details about how these hours will be delivered before the start of the module.

Please note the independent study hours above are notional numbers of hours; each student will approach studying in different ways. We would advise you to reflect on your learning and the number of hours you are allocating to these tasks.

Semester 1 The hours in this column may include hours during the Christmas holiday period.

Semester 2 The hours in this column may include hours during the Easter holiday period.

Summer The hours in this column will take place during the summer holidays and may be at the start and/or end of the module.

Assessment

Requirements for a pass

Students need to achieve an overall module mark of 40% to pass this module.

Summative assessment

Penalties for late submission of summative assessment

The Support Centres will apply the following penalties for work submitted late:

Assessments with numerical marks

• where the piece of work is submitted after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension to the deadline): 10% of the total marks available for that piece of work will be deducted from the mark for each working day (or part thereof) following the deadline up to a total of three working days;
• the mark awarded due to the imposition of the penalty shall not fall below the threshold pass mark, namely 40% in the case of modules at Levels 4-6 (i.e. undergraduate modules for Parts 1-3) and 50% in the case of Level 7 modules offered as part of an Integrated Masters or taught postgraduate degree programme;
• where the piece of work is awarded a mark below the threshold pass mark prior to any penalty being imposed, and is submitted up to three working days after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension to the deadline), no penalty shall be imposed;
• where the piece of work is submitted more than three working days after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension to the deadline): a mark of zero will be recorded.

Assessments marked Pass/Fail

• where the piece of work is submitted within three working days of the deadline (or any formally agreed extension of the deadline): no penalty will be applied;
• where the piece of work is submitted more than three working days after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension of the deadline): a grade of Fail will be awarded.

The University policy statement on penalties for late submission can be found at: https://www.reading.ac.uk/cqsd/-/media/project/functions/cqsd/documents/qap/penaltiesforlatesubmission.pdf

You are strongly advised to ensure that coursework is submitted by the relevant deadline. You should note that it is advisable to submit work in an unfinished state rather than to fail to submit any work.

Formative assessment

Formative assessment is any task or activity which creates feedback (or feedforward) for you about your learning, but which does not contribute towards your overall module mark.

Quizzes will be held after the end of each topic (Food security, post-harvest biology, food sustainability, public health risks and consumer choice) to allow students check their understanding and reflect on the taught material. Mock presentations will be also carried out in S1 Weeks 10-11 in small groups with peer feedback.

Reassessment

Additional costs