Student testimonial
Valerio Palumbo – Master Food Quality Management
I did my bachelor at the University of Parma in Italy. After that I wanted to study abroad in an important university as Wageningen. I did my master’s in food quality management, with the specialisation Quality Control and Assurance, to explore deeper the aspects of food quality and safety.
I learnt a lot and I became a big fan of food safety culture!
Thesis
Since I enjoyed applying the Techno-Managerial approach to problem solving in the food industry, I wanted to explore a new topic that could consider both the product and the people involved in food production. My thesis was about food safety culture, more specifically in the relation between food safety communication - one of the dimensions of food safety culture - national culture and organisational characteristics. I performed a detailed literature review and several interviews within a large food company, that has factories all around the world. It was not easy to find relevant information and I had to explore other disciplines and field of expertise. In the end, however, I learnt a lot and I became a big fan of food safety culture!
Internship
I wanted to do my internship in the quality department of a large company, so that I could have the possibility to see how a complex organisation works. I managed to do my internship in the Italian headquarter of Ferrero, in Alba, working on pralines quality from production to selling. My team dealt with products such as Ferrero Rocher, Pocket Coffee, and Mon Chéri. I have to say that I ate a lot during the six months of the internship! I mainly worked on the creation of quality specifications and self-control manuals for new products. I also worked on several daily tasks such as data analysis, sensory analysis, and product development. I really enjoyed my internship, especially because I was able to interact with people working in different departments (e.g. R&D, Legal, Production) and in different factories around the world (e.g. US, Russia, Germany).
Future
After graduation, I worked for nine months in Metro Italia Cash & Carry as a in store self-control specialist and I dealt with HACCP, internal auditing and training. I’m actually looking for a new job!