Teaching and learning - Undergraduate
Food Service Administration
Food Service Management coordinator: Dr Nelene Koen
Dietitians
Mrs Yolande Smit
Ms Nicolette Fredericks
Consumers are the primary drivers of the food industry, but dietitians are playing a major role in shaping the industry to meet the diverse demands of consumers and patients. Increasing emphasis is placed on food options that are nutritionally sound, safe and have an ethnic flair in colourful South Africa.
The food service management training in the B Sc Dietetics programme, addresses the processes of producing and serving a wide variety of menu items, including nutritionally modified foods, against a background of increasing client diversity and acuity.
Knowledge of food science and safety is crucial, especially in the care of the immune-comprised client, be it the result of disease, age, or treatment technologies. The successful use of food production and service technologies, depends on the thorough understanding of how these processes affect the physical and chemical properties of food as well as microbial growth, through all stages of procurement processing, storage, and service. In this regard, the Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP) system is widely used in the foodservice and food-processing industry and provides a framework for identifying and monitoring biological, chemical and physical hazards that may affect the safety of foods.
Against this background, the training in food service encompasses all relevant aspects of food procurement, handling, processing, distribution and safety.