PUBH X937 - Global Food Systems: Candy, Nut Snacks and Sweet Treats
Description
Stephanie Meyer, MPH
Senior Epidemiologist Acute Disease Investigation and Control Section
Minnesota Department of Health
Melanie Firestone, PhD
Assistant Professor
Division of Environmental Health Sciences
School of Public Health, University of Minnesota
Craig Hedberg, PhD
Professor
Division of Environmental Health Sciences
School of Public Health, University of Minnesota
The global food system for candy, nut snacks, and sweet treats will be reviewed to identify food safety hazards associated with inputs, ingredients and processing. Participants will visit manufacturing facilities that produce candy, nut snacks, and sweet treats. The product distribution system will be reviewed and processing and distribution issues related to food safety will be discussed, along with consumer issues related to the safety of these products. Discussion will include elements of foodborne disease epidemiology as it relates to candy, nut snacks, and sweet treats. Examples of real foodborne disease outbreaks will illustrate critical control points in the production of these products.
This course includes a field trip experience. Students taking the course for academic credit will be assessed a fee for transportation. The fee for non-credit CE students is included in the registration fee.
This non-credit course meets with the academic course PubH 7210-101 as part of the 2026 Public Health Institute.
Registration will open on March 5, 2026
Additional information can be found on the Public Health Institute website.
Objectives
Upon completion of this course, students will be able to:
- Identify the elements of the candy, nut snacks and sweet treats system.
- Describe the complexities of the industry and the importance in each step of the process from the farm to the consumer
- Identify the major industry groups involved in the food production system and give examples of the products and byproducts produced by the system
- Describe food production using a systems approach from the farm through marketing to the consumer.
- Describe how food safety policy must be formulated and implemented.
- Promote the concept of food system biosecurity as a prerequisite for safe, abundant, affordable and diverse food products
Registration & Cancellation
The registration fee for this course is $350. You will receive an email letter outlining program logistics two weeks prior to the start of the course.
Requests for refunds will be honored in full if a written cancellation request is received prior to the course start date. An administration fee of $50 will be charged to all refund requests received after the first day of class. The University of Minnesota School of Public Health (SPH) reserves the right to cancel any course. In the event of a course cancellation, registrants will receive a full refund of the program registration fee. SPH is not responsible for refund of travel or other costs incurred by registrants.
The SPH will provide a certificate of attendance verifying 0.75 CEUs (7.5 contact hours) offered for this program. This course is eligible for 7.5 CPH recertification credits.
All courses are approved for CPH Recertification Credits by the National Board of Public Health Examiners.
Contact & Questions
Email phi@umn.edu.