International Food Business and Consumer Studies (IFBC)

The Master's programme in International Food Business and Consumer Studies is characterised by a multidisciplinary approach at the interface between agriculture, food business and consumer science within an international context. Our students gain skills and competencies to manage complex processes along the food chain, to develop and market food products and related services according to the needs of different consumer groups. During the first semester, students are assigned one bridging module to compensate for different levels of students' background knowledge and skills. Compulsory modules International legislation on consumer protection and food introduces key institutions and related administrative bodies in the EU, food products labelling, legislation for production, distribution or sale of novel or functional food, risk management and risk communication, the barriers to the free flow of goods, and the national food control systems in Europe. The module on International Organic Food Markets and Marketing covers the analysis of international markets for organic products, organic regulations, and basics of food marketing for exporters. The module on Research Methods provides basic knowledge in research methods as well as competencies to understand and work with qualitative and quantitative research methods including knowledge of data survey and analysis and data evaluation. An applied research project provides the opportunity to develop advanced competencies in managing research and development projects. In cooperation with external partners, students work on interdisciplinary problems. The module on Trends in Food Sciences and Sustainable Consumption covers recent scientific results on food constituents and processing, their physiological effects within various nutritional patterns, and their influence on the quality of raw material and final food products. It enables the students to understand the social and psychological impact on consumer behaviour, recent developments in consumption and the deduction of future trends with emphasis on sustainability. Food Product Development explores stages of product development, quality function deployment, processing and product formulations, food chemistry, manufacturing, food regulations, food additives, product testing, shelf life studies and factors affecting shelf life. The module on Quality Management in the Food Business enables students to describe and understand the main challenges in developing and implementing an effective quality management system, to determine the verification of food security according to international standards and the traceability within the food chain, and to implement an effective risk management system. From a catalogue of business and food-related modules three elective modules have to be chosen. The Master's thesis is an individual research study. Students work on topics related to international food economics and consumer science, often in cooperation with external partners in this field.