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The University of Edinburgh: Food Safety (Online Learning)

Institution The University of Edinburgh View institution profile
Department Royal Dick School of Veterinary Studies
Web https://www.ed.ac.uk/studying
Study type Taught

Summary

Why study this programme?

Based in the Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies (R(D)SVS), the MSc is uniquely positioned to draw expertise from the world class staff based in the vet school, Roslin Institute and the Global Academy of Agriculture and Food Security.

Globally, poor food safety affects 600 million people and results in 420,000 deaths in a year (World Health Organisation report; Estimates of the global burden of foodborne diseases, 2015).

This report highlighted the importance of producing safe food to save human lives, reduce morbidity, conserve resources and improve the economy of every country.

Concern about foodborne diseases is a heightened public health concern worldwide.

The contamination of food with microorganisms or chemicals may occur at any stage in the process from food production to consumption. Environmental contamination, including pollution of water, soil, or air, also poses a threat.

What will I learn?

Uniquely positioned to provide a holistic ("farm to fork") food safety approach to the food chain, this MSc covers key food safety issues in:

  • agricultural food production

  • harvest

  • slaughter

  • processing

  • storage

  • transport

  • retail

  • consumption

This MSc considers the pre- and post-harvest stages of agricultural food production. It incorporates:

  • the drivers and economics of food safety throughout the food chain,

  • how to minimize, detect and deal with potential hazards in crop production, animal products, food processing, manufacture, and storage

  • how to collect and analyse data from a foodborne disease outbreak

  • a guide to relevant microbial and chemical hazards, and testing systems.

  • designing and implementing food safety management systems

  • an introduction to animal welfare and food safety/quality concerns on farms, transport vehicles, slaughterhouses, meat processing plants, including waste management

  • guides to relevant legislation, comparing legislation and issues with labelling, traceability, enforcement, and food fraud

  • other topics are available in elective options

Who is this programme for?

The MSc in Food Safety is a part-time online learning programme.

It is aimed at busy professionals keen to acquire in-depth knowledge on food safety, with relevant backgrounds in:

  • public health

  • food and beverage

  • agriculture

  • veterinary

  • biology

This programme would be suitable for those with an undergraduate degree in:

  • agricultural sciences

  • biological science

  • food systems

  • veterinary medicine

  • human medicine

It is also suitable if you are a/an:

  • agriculture professional

  • rural industries professional

  • food industry professional

  • government official

  • international organisation employee

  • researcher in food safety

  • third sector employee

Accreditation

Courses within the MSc in Food Safety programme, once accredited by the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS), can be used by veterinarians towards the RCVS Certificate or Diploma in Veterinary Public Health.

The programme aligns and contributes to the current European College of Veterinary Public Health (ECVPH) approved specialist standard residency training programme that occurs at the RDSVS.

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Edinburgh. Extraordinary futures await.

The University of Edinburgh is one of the world's top universities, consistently ranked in the world top 50, and placed 27th in the 2025 QS World University Rankings.

Our position as one of Britain’s leading research universities was reaffirmed by the results of the 2021 Research Excellence Framework (REF). The University of Edinburgh is one of the world’s top research-intensive universities, ranked 4th in the UK for research power (Times Higher Education, Overall Ranking of Institutions), with 90% of our research activity classified as world leading or internationally excellent in the 2021 Research Excellence Framework.

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