A cohort of students from the Department of Biotechnology and Consumer Science have reason to smile - the Programme of Consumer Science: Food and Nutrition recently re-introduced Food Science practical classes for first-year mainstream and second-year Extended Curriculum Programme (ECP) students.

Consumer Science lecturer, Raché Hanekom says the students are very pleased to be back in the practical laboratories and are working hard to make the most of the opportunity to learn and practise culinary skills as well as observe the theory learnt since remote teaching commenced in June following the nationwide lockdown. 

“We have designed a condensed course to teach the core skills and knowledge in order to provide our students [with] an academic foundation to build on in their second and third years.”

The practical application for the subject Food: Science and Practice prepares students for the world of work, where they may be involved in new product development, quality control and service operations, to name but a few career opportunities.

Seventy students are involved and the practical sessions are presented in five groups over three days.  All the staff involved have opted to add additional time to their timetables to assist with the implementation of this approach. The department is adhering to the COVID-19 protocols by maintaining social distancing with 50% occupancy of practical venues, the wearing of masks and face shields, providing safe and clean workspace and all sensory evaluation practices have been excluded from the full-day practical sessions.

First-year mainstream student, Sadika Nait-Saidi says: “I enjoy being back on campus with my fellow classmates and that I am able to do my practicals with all the necessary measures and support systems in place which I did not always have back at home.”

Written by Aphiwe Boyce
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Second-year Food Production and Service Operations (Programme Consumer Science: Food and Nutrition) students recently convened a catering workshop for members of the Weskusmandjie at District Six campus.

The Weskusmandjie consists of a group of subsistence fisherwomen, founded in 2018 by entrepreneur Hilda Adams, and is based at St. Helena Bay, Steenbergs Cove and Buffeljags Bay. The women rely on their familiarity with and knowledge of the ocean to produce home-made food items such as sour fig (suurvytjie) jam, pickled alikreukel (giant periwinkle), and rollmops (pickled herring fillets). The group use local raw materials to produce the products which are marketed via the ABALOBI Pantry, a digital platform for fishery product marketing.

Programme Service-Learning Coordinator, Raché Hanekom, said that after a round-table discussion with the women, a need was raised with the Weskusmandjie members to develop catering knowledge and/or skills. Six members of Weskusmandjie attended the workshop.

Hanekom said members of Weskusmandjie demonstrated a snoek fish cake recipe, which linked well with the Food: Science and Practice 1 curriculum content. The day was celebrated with a feast table to showcase the products produced.

Student, Lithalam Nxano said the service learning was really helpful in terms of teaching how busy things can be in the industry. “It showed the importance of time management and the importance of working as a team.”

Written by Aphiwe Boyce
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Newly appointed lecturer, Consumer Science: Food and Nutrition, Zani Veldsman is keen on making a sustainable difference through the application of her skills and knowledge in the fields of new product development and innovation, nutrition and wellness.

From a very young age, Veldsman knew that she wanted to work in the nutrition and food industry. She had a goal and aligned her choices with that goal. “It took a lot of hard work, late nights of studying and working, focus and perseverance,” she reminisces.

At times the PhD candidate had to take a detour from her planned path but that is where she discovered new passions, like teaching. “After 10 years in the food industry, I realised that I have an immense passion for teaching and that I can align my passion for food and nutrition with teaching. I realised that you should always be open to new possibilities and that your dreams and goals can grow and evolve as time goes by,” she continues.

“I am passionate about food. It's as simple as that! I believe that having access to good quality and nutritious food is a basic human right. But more than that, I believe food is personal and part of the fabric of our very existence.”

Some of her fondest memories are in her home’s kitchen and around the dinner table with her family and friends. “We prepared our food together while we chatted about our day and then sat down as a family to eat. This really taught me a lot about community and how to be present in the moment. I suppose this is also where my love of food was born and that influenced many of my life choices.”

The soft-spoken but persistent, Veldsman has worked in the fast-moving consumer goods environment, globally and locally.  She has been “fortunate” to work in both the food industry and academic environment. She worked for and with (when she started her own business) various companies such as Clover, Astral Poultry and Starbucks (the Middle East and North Africa).  

“I believe in bridging the gap between science and practice in the fields of nutrition, wellness and health by creating sustainable solutions that solve practical problems through the application of scientifically proven methods and principles.”

Veldsman says: “Teaching is a great passion of mine and moulding young minds really excites me! It is an opportunity to give back and share the knowledge I have gained. Before this [permanent appointment] I was teaching part-time and managed my own consultancy business - Blend Food.”

Completing her Master’s degree, presenting her first oral presentation at an international conference, working for Starbucks and “personally – getting married to my best friend” are some of her fondest memories. However, she admits that her blossoming career came with a price: “I lived quite far away from my family for almost 13 years and it was tough to be so far away from my support structures. However, the experience taught me to be self-sufficient and strong as a woman.”

Among her plans, is to “work with the Consumer Science team to keep improving our course and subject in an ever-changing world. The team is very dynamic and it is a privilege to work with them. Food habits and trends change from year to year and we have to keep up. I aim to ensure that all my subjects are adapted for different styles of learning to accommodate as many students as possible.”

Written by Aphiwe Boyce
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A BTech Consumer Science student will soon be jetting off to London after delivering an impressive pitch at the recent SA Technology Network student pre-conference workshop.
Keagan Canterbury said the innovation he pitched focused on the development of a functional dairy-based product containing omega-3 fatty acids and carotenes.

It was announced as the best student pitch at the workshop, which was hosted by the Technology Innovation Agency.

“My specific product is a yoghurt-based honey mustard salad dressing that I developed for my Food Science 4 product development assignment. My supervisors are Prof. Maretha Opperman and Mrs Enid Hinrichsen,” said Keagan, who is also a teaching assistant in the Consumer Science Department.

Keagan will be going to London at the end of the year where he will work with and learn from Sherwyn Pillay of Hypergrowth-Buzz. The company specialises in consulting with small businesses to develop them into larger corporations in a small space of time

Written by Ilse Fredericks
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