IUFoST: E-Learning

On behalf of the International Union of Food Science and Technology (IUFoST), we would like to welcome you to our Distance Education Training Program. We are delighted that you are considering furthering your training in one or more areas of food science. One of the most important things to enhancing the quality of life in any society is the availability of safe, dependable, and nutritious food supply. Those of you who are involved in any way with the growing, production, processing, marketing, distribution, or preparation of food products all have a critical role to play in delivering high quality food products to the consumer. The agri-food industry is continuously faced with challenges brought on by food shortages in various parts of the world, or outbreaks of food-borne diseases that can have a serious impact on the health and well-being of people of all ages. It is our fondest hope that the information presented in the various course modules offered here will provide you with a knowledge base to enable you to work with us in establishing our goal of delivering safe, high quality food to all consumers.

Each of the modules is divided into two or three levels for study purposes. It is not intended that students should complete all nine modules at each level. However, that would certainly be beneficial in developing a full appreciation of the food processing sector. There will be students who wish to study only specific topics such as thermal processing, or food packaging, for example. For those who do wish to study and complete more than one module, it is recommended that they approach the topics in the order in which they are listed above to obtain a logical progression of information from which one topic leads into the next.

Each subject module is intended to be offered through a Distance Education format. A manual will be provided for each course that will guide you through the various concepts and principles as well as providing instruction on problem solving techniques (if applicable). Course mentors will be assigned to each student, where possible, to provide local support. In addition, a course administrator will be available to answer questions and address concerns via e-mail. Students will be given assignments to complete and submit for grading within a specified time period. A written examination will be given at the completion of each level of study within a subject module and will be marked by the module administrator or other appropriate individual.

Once again, it is a pleasure to welcome you to the Distance Education Training Program. We hope that you find the study material interesting and informative, and that it will be of benefit to you in your area of the food processing industry. If at any time during your studies you have some ideas or comments that would enable us to improve our course material or course delivery, we would be most happy to hear from you.

Sincerely,
The Distance Education Task Force
International Union of Food Science and Technology
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1. Food Dehydration - Completed by Donald Mercer
2. Food Freezing - Completed by Walter Spiess
3. Food Packaging - Completed by Gordon Robertson
4. Numeracy Guide - Completed by Donald Mercer
5. Food science Information Sources - Completed by Jeremy Selman
6. Hygiene - Completed by SADC (Southern Africa Development Consortium)
7. Food Safety - Completed by SADC
8. Food Law - Completed by SADC
9. Shelf Life - Completed by Paul Singh
10.Quality Control Partially - Completed by Purwiyatno Hariyadi
11.Thermal Processing Partially - Completed by Donald Mercer and Daryl Lund
12.Human Nutrition Partially - Completed by Delia Rodriguez Amaya and Marie Nnyepi

The IUFoST website has been modified to accommodate the DE training project for on line registration of mentors and participants and handling all course materials including assignments and grades.
Don Mercer has presented the Food Dehydration modules two times and the third offering is about to begin.
Later this Spring the DE materials will be made available for use by anyone. Just contact the IUFoST office for signing up to use the modules.