Food Safety U: Jen McCoy Sanders

“I originally was going to go the registered dietitian route,” she said. “When I was taking some prerequisite classes, I found a career development class that introduced me to food science. I had never heard of the field, but I have a love for food, and I have a love for science and how things work.”

McCoy Sanders was immediately drawn to food microbiology, which led to her thesis, studying the disinfection of pathogens using a device that emits UVC wavelengths. She became HACCP and PCQI certified after taking a food safety class over the summer and put those to use at her QA internship at Village Green Foods, where she’s helped improve the company’s HACCP plan.

We talked to McCoy Sanders about learning experiences she’s enjoyed during her academic career and how she balances her time working, going to school and spending time with her family.

Q. What have been some of your most memorable learning experiences since you’ve started this program?

A. Earlier this past summer, I took advantage of Chapman’s study abroad program. It was two weeks in Italy, and we got to learn about the culture through food production. It was very interesting from a food safety perspective, because some of the practices they have are more based on tradition rather than safety measures. In the Parma region, we were able to visit a production facility for Parmigiano Reggiano cheese. We watched them make it, from adding the whey and heating it until separating the curds. We’re watching these vats of liquid, essentially, and then you just see this block of cheese form. Another facility we went to that I found very interesting was the prosciutto facility. Traditionally, there are certain parameters that have to be met for a product to be called Parmigiano Reggiano or prosciutto from that specific region, so we learned about the different regulations and qualifications they have to call it that.

Q. What’s one of your favorite courses you’ve taken?

A. Food microbiology is my favorite class. I was interested in learning about how different bacteria and microorganisms grow and thrive and how you get rid of them, but it was really interesting to apply that to food. There’s the food safety aspect of it, like what you don’t want: the bad bacteria that are going to cause harm and foodborne illnesses. It’s not ideal to have mold on a piece of bread, say, but then you have something like blue cheese that actually is a mold. In our lab, we got to make that. We used a cream cheese and added a mold to it. Or adding bacteria to milk, we made yogurt in class. In general microbiology, you get this idea that microorganisms are bad, and a lot of them do cause illnesses. But then you learn about some of the good ones, the good bacteria in your gut or that make yogurt and the good molds that make yummy cheeses. It’s interesting to see how these microorganisms, these tiny little things, can do either a lot of damage, or they can do good things.

Q. Have you encountered any challenges working in the field while also pursuing a degree?

A. I still work at my medical billing job. I do that for about 20 hours, I do 10 hours at my internship, and I’m required to do about 10 hours a week for my thesis research. Time management, that’s the biggest challenge, and just trying to balance everything: finding time to spend with my wife, give my dogs attention, study, go to class, make sure I’m meeting my requirements for my thesis research. I’ve learned to ask for help. I was like, “I’m independent, I’m stubborn, I can do this by myself,” but I’m learning it actually takes a stronger person to ask for help.