Food Safety

The School of Food and Agriculture’s research and development focuses on the following thematic areas:

• Food safety
• Sustainable agri-food systems
• Business management and economics in agri-food
• Nutrition

SeAMK School of Food and Agriculture has chosen food safety as its profile area, in which SeAMK wants to strengthen in the education and research activities. SeAMK’s ability to promote food safety include knowledge of the entire food chain, comprehensive testing and laboratory environments as well as product quality and hygiene expertise in industrial food processes. Food safety is linked, for example, purity of raw materials and other inputs, animal welfare, traceability, nutrition and product safety. Research activities also support business management and economics in agriculture as well as sustainable production in food systems. Food security and nutrition are crucial part of food safety, and nutritional aspects include also hospitality management of customers.

The SeAMK Food Unit has an experienced and multidisciplinary food expert and TKI group. The group’s particular interest is food safety. The aim is to promote food safety through research and development, both at home and abroad through international education exports, in the food value chain. Food safety covers the entire food chain from primary production to the consumer’s dining table. Food safety is based on the purity of inputs, animal welfare and traceability and quality management throughout the chain. The strengths of the Food Unit in promoting food safety include: high-quality chain-wide testing and laboratory environment, microbial safety techniques, traceability of digitalisation, production of 3 D production animals, and nutritional quality and hygiene aspects of the product.

The food laboratories of the Seinäjoki Univeristy of Applied Sciences (SeAMK) create a unique multidisciplinary learning environment in the Frami-campus complex. Frami Food Lab brings together the students in the food chain under the same roof. The aim is to allow students to interact and collaborate with researchers and other partners. Also, the facilities allow companies to co-operate with SeAMK and make valuable R&D with students and university staff. The new facilities also support closer collaboration with international partners. Frami Food Lab ecosystem has been funded by European Regional Development Fund.

SeAMK Food Experts’ RDI Group consists of 40 food researchers, of whom eight are PhDs and three Docents at the University of Helsinki. In addition to strong applied research, the group influences the development of the food chain by training entrepreneurs and experts, and by participating in regional, national and international work in the food sciences.