Meat Inspection Study Program | Regency TAFE, Adelaide, South Australia

13-26 June 2009: Forty five HCT students from the HD Food Inspection program at Abu Dhabi Men’s College over nine years, and with a faculty member every year participated in a well designed Meat Inspection Study Program. Thanks to Meat and Livestock Australia (MLA) who generously sponsored this program in conjunction with Technical and Further Education (TAFE) Regency institute, Adelaide, South Australia. It is organized in a way that every year five students accompanied by one teaching staff from HCT participate in this program.

This year’s group consisting of 5 Food Inspection Higher Diploma students and myself, as a coach, spent two enjoyable weeks participating in a very intensive program during the period from 13th  to 26th June, 2009.  This program has provided the participating students with an understanding of the Australian Meat Safety and Quality Assurance Systems. This was achieved through participants achieving the following objectives:

• Watching and appreciating Australia’s Halal Slaughter program
• Identifying the quality Assurance systems which control safe red meat production in Australia.
• Appreciating the efforts of Australian Quarantine and Inspection Service (AQIS) to ensure hygienic production of exported red meat.
• Appreciating the methods of eliminating poor and unsafe product handling methods as they are a potential hazard for the consumer
• Being aware of methods used in proper handling conditions in live animals.
• Observing the preparation of ready to eat meat for human consumption    
• Listing the key role of Health Officers in the food retail industry
• Identifying the different Microbiological methods used in food examination
• Understanding the principles and applications of HACCP in meat industry
• Completing a HACCP project and submitting a report on this.
• Completing an animal product making project.
• Identifying the different microbiological methods used in food examination

The program also includes social events such as an evening spent with students from the UAE training to be pilots for Emirates Airlines, a visit to a national park and a river land houseboat camping in the Australian outback over the week-end. Thanks to Lindsey’s family, the owner of the houseboat.

Certificates of achievements were presented to the students at a farewell dinner attended by senior representatives from Meat and Livestock Australia (MLA), Regency TAFE, Australian Quarantine and Inspection Service (AQIS), South Australian Government and local industries. Certificates of HACCP Project Completion were also presented to the students.  
 
As they are all senior food inspectors, students participating in this year’s program were more involved in the practical application of the training program and drew comparisons between UAE practices and Australian Practices from their experiences in Australia. It is important to mention that all students who participated in this training program were willing to learn and showed great enthusiasm. They were able to relate the various activities they participated in to some of the learning outcomes in their curricula. They are to be commended on their professional behavior during the experience.

As students Supervisor during this trip, I would like to take this opportunity to thank MLA for sponsoring this program and the Regency Institute, TAFE of South Australia for putting together an excellent training program which fully satisfied the trip objectives.