Discover the importance of kitchenware and packaging that is safe for people and the environment alike.
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Duration
5 weeksWeekly study
5 hours
Consumer and Environmental Safety: Food Packaging and Kitchenware
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Learn how some kitchenware can affect your health
Food safety is highly regulated. Yet, one blind spot is the migration of molecules from contact materials in kitchenware into food. Particular attention needs to be placed on chemicals present at low doses but acting on the endocrine system over a long time.
On this course, you’ll learn about these endocrine disrupters and their potential impact on human health and the environment.
You’ll evaluate how chemicals can migrate from packaging and slowly affect our endocrine health, and how tests can check for safety. Ultimately, you’ll better understand how we can improve food safety in general.
Syllabus
Week 1
Food packaging, its material and the issue of migration
What is packaging? What for?
A brief presentation of the course, topics, experts and avatars, sit back, relax and enjoy!
Chemical analyses and the issue of migration
Packagings are not inert materials, infinitely small amounts of their molecular components are constantly migrating, chemical analysis answer the question of which and how much chemical migrates to our food
The detection of unwanted chemicals in our food
Chemical analyses results show a global quantitation and identification of knowns and unknowns chemical species, how can we treat these informations?
Review and reflect
Week 1 wrap-up and what comes next.
Week 2
Migrating chemicals: is there a health concern?
Chemical analyses and biological analyses
You will see how chemical and biological analyses are done and what for. You will learn about our endocrine system, how delicate and vulnerable it is, and discuss the issue of endocrine disruption.
The need of statistics and epidemiology when dealing with human
You will face with the issue of research on human subject and the importance of epidemiology and statists. We will apply these methods to look for relationships between migrating chemicals and global health concerns.
The suspected action of migrating chemicals on our hormonal health
You will be faced with the emerging health trends that appear evident from epidemiological studies and that are linked to our exposure to chemicals present in food and packaging, as well as coming from other sources.
Review and reflect
Week 2 wrap-up and what comes next.
Week 3
Biotests their use in research and for monitoring
Biological tests and current reseach on EDC
How do we run experiments and tests to assess the bioactivity of endocrine disrupting chemicals? Do we use cells or organisms?
How is research on endocrine interference proceeding ?
Learn directly from experts how we use the tests and how we monitor food and environment
Review and reflect
Week 3 wrap-up and what comes next.
Week 4
Innovations that improve the system
The search for novel packaging materials - the bioplastics
What does the bioplastic term mean? What are bioplastics made of? Are they really sustainable? We will focus also on circular economy and the future of packaging
Who conducts research? Who pays for it?
Industries, public agencies, university labs, everyone is interested in the development of outstanding and innovative products; however the costs are high. Who pays for this?
The position of the food industry
Food industry is having hard times to satisfy a growing social demand on providing safer and more environmentaly sustainable packaging materials. Explore the roles of industry, associations and legislators
Week 5
Consumers, Science, Health and Society
The ideal flow of activity to protect health and environment
How can we design new rules in packaging to minimize health and environmental threats? We will illustrate the role of each participant in ideal world.
Finding an equilibrium among stakeholders
Is the current flow effective? it's time to find the right equilibrium, a special guest, Doctor Sorriento, will help to clarify each aspect of this debate
The difficult task of the legislator and of regulatory agencies
How legislators and control agencies can take the right decision to minimize threats without damaging anyone? it's a razor's edge position!
Final assessment and 'take home message'
What do you take with you at the end of this course? Check your knowledge and share your reflections with other learners.
Learning on this course
On every step of the course you can meet other learners, share your ideas and join in with active discussions in the comments.
What will you achieve?
By the end of the course, you‘ll be able to...
- Reflect on the importance of safe food packaging and kitchenware in your daily life and choices
- Evaluate how chemicals can migrate from packaging and slowly affect our endocrine health
- Assess how chemical and biological tests are done and evaluate their importance for safety
- Describe the professional roles of all stakeholders in the business of food safety in general
- Discuss the topics of the course with increased knowledge and contribute to global awareness
- Interpret information and news with increased critical sense, especially when dealing with consumers’ health and protection
Who is the course for?
This course is for anyone interested in potential health risks derived from food packaging and kitchenware, and in particular from chemicals migrating from packaging into food and drink.
This could include healthcare workers, parents, pregnant women, and anyone with an interest in health and food safety.
If you’re looking to expand your knowledge on this topic, you might also find of interest the following EIT Food courses on food system:
Who will you learn with?
I am a professor at the Department of Biotechnology of the University of Torino. I do research in developmental biology with a specific interest in gonadotropic hormones and brain development.
I'm a Researcher at IATA-CSIC, Spain. My research interests are studying the relationship between structure and function to develop healthier and more sustainable materials for food applications
I am a full professor at the Department of Biotechnology, University of Turin, Italy. My research field is analytical chemistry applied to drugs, animal and vegetal biomolecules and pollutants.
I am Assistant Professor in the Institute of Animal Reproduction and Food Research of Polish Academy of Sciences. My research concentrates on human nutrition, metabolomics & volatile compound analysis
I teach to Biology students at the University of Torino. My research focuses on endocrine and metabolic disruption exerted by certain chemicals, such as plasticizers used in food-contact materials
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- Complete 90% of course steps and all of the assessments to earn your certificate
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