Consumer and Environmental Safety: Food Packaging and Kitchenware
Discover the importance of kitchenware and packaging that is safe for people and the environment alike.
- Duration5 weeks
- Weekly study5 hours
- LearnFree
Consumer and Environmental Safety: Food Packaging and Kitchenware
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.
What topics will you cover?
• What are the potential risks for global health and for the environment derived from packaging?
• Which stakeholders are involved in the safety of packaging and how are these connected?
• How is research in chemistry, biology and material science contributing towards safer food?
• What is the role that consumers play in order to improve safety?
• What measures does the industry, governments and the EU put in place to ensure safe packaging?
• How can information and communication technologies reach the general public and help in daily choices?
When would you like to start?
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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 increase 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.
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 Senior Specialist in the Institute of Animal Reproduction and Food Research of Polish Academy of Sciences. My research concentrates on human nutrition, metabolomics & volatile compounds 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
Who developed the course?
EIT Food
EIT Food is Europe’s leading food innovation initiative, with the aim to create a sustainable and future-proof food sector.
University of Turin
The University of Turin is one of the largest and most prestigious Italian universities, with about 70,000 students, 4,000 employees, and 1,800 research fellows, encompassing all academic sectors.
European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT)
This activity has received funding from EIT Food, the innovation community on Food of the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT), a body of the EU, under the Horizon 2020, the EU Framework Programme for Research and Innovation.
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