Keeping Pace With the Global Marketplace (in Post-Secondary Education)

1. Keeping Pace With the Global Marketplace (in Post-Secondary Education) Gary Sandberg, Ph.D. Food Technology, BCIT

2. Importance? • Global economy • Food Safety and Food Security • International Influences

3. Influence of Global Economy 1) Communications (Facebook, Twitter, Flickr, MySpace…. Amazon, Google, Yahoo) 2) Economics – (Conference Board of Canada, Feb.2010) • The world economy will expand by 2.9 per cent this year following 2009’s slump. • The Asia-Pacific region will lead the world in economic growth in 2010. • The U.K., Spain, and Ireland will record below-average growth due to the lingering effects of housing meltdowns. • Tepid growth in household spending will restrain U.S. economic growth.

4. Food Safety and Security Canada’s Action Plan for Food Security WHO USDA

5. Canada's Action Plan for Food Security (2009) • Priority 1: The right to food • Priority 2: The reduction of poverty • Priority 3: Promotion of access to safe and nutritious food • Priority 4: Food safety • Priority 5: Traditional food acquisition methods of Aboriginal and coastal communities • Priority 6: Food production emphasizes the critical role of research, rural development and investment in the productivity of the agriculture and agri-food sector.

6. Canada's Action Plan for Food Security (2009) • Priority 7: Emphasis on environmentally sustainable practices • Priority 8: Fair trade • Priority 9: Acknowledgement of peace as a precursor to food security • Priority 10: A monitoring system for food insecurity identifies the need for a comprehensive set of agreed-upon indicators to determine the nature, extent and evolution of food insecurity

7. PRIORITY 4: Food Safety Food safety underlines the new threats to global food supply posed by the rapid increase and deep market penetration of new and exotic foods from a variety of trading partners, which may constitute a safety or disease hazard; by environmental contaminants, especially in traditional food sources in Canada's Far North, which are also a threat to safety; and emergencies or disasters, which can cause problems such as contamination from hazardous chemicals or disease-causing micro-organisms. In addition, lack of knowledge about preparation and storage of foods is identified as a threat, mainly at the household level.

8. Priority 10: Monitoring A monitoring system for food insecurity identifies the need for a comprehensive set of agreed-upon indicators to determine the nature, extent and evolution of food insecurity

9. Food Safety In the World Health Report 2007 (WHO) , the natural, accidental and deliberate contamination of food has been identified as one of the major global public health threats in the 21st Century.

10. Food Security • Two commonly used definitions of food security come from the UN's Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA): • Food security exists when all people, at all times, have physical and economic access to sufficient, safe and nutritious food to meet their dietary needs and food preferences for an active and healthy life. (FAO) • Food security for a household means access by all members at all times to enough food for an active, healthy life. Food security includes at a minimum (1) the ready availability of nutritionally adequate and safe foods, and (2) an assured ability to acquire acceptable foods in socially acceptable ways (that is, without resorting to emergency food supplies, scavenging, stealing, or other coping strategies). (USDA)[21]

11. International Influences • Regulations/requirements (HACCP, ISO 9000, ISO 22000, ISO 14000, EUREPGAP) • Climate change • Socio-economics (choices and coins) • Educational

12. Implications for Post Secondary Food Science/Technology Programs • Complex issues • Increased diversity of topics • Beyond just rudimentary food manufacturing/testing techniques

13. Components of Post Secondary Institutions Institute – vision, direction, branding linkages, partnerships, collaborations, accreditation, pathways, lifelong learning , Faculty – professional development (sabbaticals, leaves) Curriculum – relevancy, currency Students – diversity, development, involvement

14. BCIT Approach • Institute • Program Advisory Committee (PAC) • Linkages • Applied Research • Faculty and Student memberships in industry organizations • Accreditation

15. Institute • Vision: integral to the economic, social and environmental prosperity of BC • Mission: to serve the success of learners and employers (high quality training and advancing state of practice).

16. Program Advisory Committee • Direct input into curriculum and program direction (both for full time and part-time programs/courses) • Strives to represent all sectors • Curriculum review cycle – every 5 years

17. Linkages • BCMAL, CFIA, AAFC, HC, NHPD, … • CA/EU Student Mobility program • BCIT/UBC/PARC MOU • Other potential collaborations

18. Applied Research Involvement of both faculty and students: • Direct faculty involvement/use of pilot plant • Sabbaticals in industry • Student projects/ summer employment

19. Faculty/Student Memberships • BCFPA • BCFT • ASTTBC • NHPRS • CIFST • IFT • IUFoST • ASQ

20. Accreditation • ASTTBC and CTAB • Graduates can have international portability

21. Conclusions • Many influences • Need to be alert and aware of changing landscape • Challenging to keep pace BUT Paramount

22. Thank you