Food Science student shows ‘Dutch courage’ by going all in with exchange
A GCU student has taken full advantage of her Erasmus experience in Amsterdam and is keen for others to follow in her footsteps.
Final year BSc (Hons) Food Science student, Loredana Herciu, spent the final few months of 2021 studying at Hogeschool Van Amsterdam (HVA) and - as if spending time at a foreign University wasn’t enough - she also secured a three-month placement with insect food certification programme, Entotrust.
After uncertainty around Brexit and the pandemic, Lorena admits it was written in the stars for her to finally kick off her European adventure in September. She explained: “Erasmus is something I’ve always wanted to do since starting at GCU. I remember being in my lecturer’s office at the start of first year, asking about the Erasmus opportunities – I was desperate to do it! It seemed like such an incredible thing to get involved with and I didn’t want to miss out.
When it came to my final year, Amsterdam was the only option for my course but it all came together perfectly with the people I met and experience I had.”
Loredana’s time at HVA provided her with the perfect learning experience to develop her academic knowledge, which will prove beneficial well beyond her final year at GCU.
She said: “The module I studied while studying here is called ‘Creating Global Food Concept for the Global Market’. You basically start from scratch with your group and look at worldwide problems and then find solutions via a food product. You then have four months to create a new food product which can be sold to the global market. I absolutely loved it!
The problem we identified was females suffering from anemia in Mexico. There’s a popular dish there called, ‘Chiles en Nogada’, which is peppers stuffed with meat or rice. We tried to do a variation of this and our product is called ‘The Hepper’ (healthy pepper). This was basically Jalapeños filled with lentils, dried lime and nopales, which is a cactus found in Mexico. The sauce was made with roasted peppers and walnuts, in order to make the right amount of iron and zinc to fight against anemia.
I really enjoyed it because the final project was a presentation in front of the whole class about our product. After our presentation, we had some businessmen join us and we had to convince them to invest their money - it was like Dragons’ Den! It was a really nice way to conclude this part of my journey.”
Not satisfied with one academic module, Loredana strived to develop her knowledge even further.
She explained: “Coronavirus here meant that classes were online, so I had this extra time that I was able to make use of.
I decided to go on Google and look for some further opportunities. I came across Entotrust, who I had been aware of previously, and just decided to email them and ask if I could get remote work experience.
If an organisation has Entotrust on their packaging then it shows that the producer reached high quality and food safety, within local and international food requirements. They’re a really interesting company and the amazing thing is that their logo is the only one used for edible insects, which is a cause close to my heart!”
Loredana added: “I had training at the beginning and was told all about how they work. I was responsible for researching companies that work with insects around the world. I then had to get in touch with them to set up meetings between the company and Entrotrust. It’s an amazing experience for me to have at this stage and it’s nice to know that my work is helping them expand their brand.
I started with them in November for three months but they then extended my contract until the end of February and we will then decide if we want to go further. I just need to consider how it fits with my University work.”
After enhancing her personal and professional skills in Amsterdam, Loredana had a simple message for other students considering studying abroad.
She said: “It doesn’t matter if you’re wanting to do it for a month or a year, you simply have to do it!”
Find out more about GCU’s exchange opportunities.
By Ross Clark
Got an SHLS or GSBS story? Email me at Ross.Clark@gcu.ac.uk or message me on Twitter