FutureLearn

Innovation: the Food Industry (FutureLearn)

Offered by University of Leeds,

Learn how innovation has changed the food industry and the way we shop, and think about the global issue of food waste. This course considers the ways in which the food industry has evolved over the past 70 years and has created the industry of convenience we have today.

Class Deals by MOOC List - Click here and see FutureLearn's Active Discounts, Deals, and Promo Codes.

Introduced through a case study from Marks & Spencer, you will see how new innovations have changed the way we shop. You will also consider the issue of food waste: in a world where thousands suffer from malnutrition and starvation, you’ll consider possible innovations in your own society to this global problem.

What topics will you cover?

Key issues for innovation in the food retail sector
Drivers and challenges for innovation specific to the food industry
Case study: the ‘cold chain’ process at M&S
Looking for solutions to the wicked problem of food waste
Innovation and technology within the brewing process

What will you achieve?
By the end of the course, you'll be able to...

Explore the different types of innovation and think of examples of each.
Identify the three levels of innovation: incremental, radical, and disruptive.
Discuss the consumer needs that drive innovation in the food industry.
Reflect on a case study showing innovation in the cold chain process for food delivery.
Identify drivers in food retail innovation and discuss future directions for innovation in the food industry.
Explore how individuals and groups can aid innovation.
Identify examples of crowdsourcing activities.
Assess what the wicked problem of food waste is.
Summarise in less than 250 words an innovative solution for addressing the wicked problem of food waste.
Research and identify the drivers and challenges of technical innovations in the brewing process.
Assess your knowledge by successfully completing the test which concludes the course.

Go to Class

MOOC List is learner-supported. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.

Related Courses

FutureLearn

University of Leeds

Innovation: the World's Greatest (FutureLearn)

Management & Leadership

Understand what innovation means and consider the history and developments of innovations that are important in our daily lives. This course considers innovations throughout history identifying that very few innovative ideas are new; the vast majority take something that is already working and improve it, be it a product, service or process.

May 23rd 2022

2 Weeks

Business Innovation Business Innovations

FutureLearn

Lancaster University

Global Food Security: Addressing the Challenge (FutureLearn)

Health & Society Social Sciences

How will we feed an extra two billion people by the middle of this century? In this course, we introduce the issue of food security and explore some of the different ways in which it has been described both in research and in practice and consider key concerns for the future.

No sessions available

5-12 Weeks

Health Innovation Technology

Coursera

Erasmus University Rotterdam

Innovation Management (Coursera)

Management & Leadership

What is innovation management? How do firms bring in new business models and get new products and services to the market? Go on a nine-week journey through innovation management concepts, theories of idea generation, selection, strategy formulation and implementation in this MOOC in Innovation Management. In it, you will also learn the tools for implementing innovation projects yourself. Guided by world-class academics, you will develop an innovative mindset and expertise in how firms successfully create new ideas for marketing new products. The syllabus also includes sessions about innovation strategy, idea management and social networks.

Jun 4th 2026

5-12 Weeks

Innovation Management Business Strategy

FutureLearn

Royal College of Art

Ethical Practices to Guide Innovation (FutureLearn)

Architecture & Design

Learn design principles that help innovate through moral and responsible solutions. Be the ethical innovator you want to see in the world. At its core, ethics is concerned with anything that can help or hinder a group’s wellbeing. It follows, then, that creativity and innovation in any industry should be subject to and guided by ethical practices and principles.

Nov 1st 2021

4 Weeks

Innovation Ethics Design Principles

FutureLearn

University of Reading,EIT Food,EIT

From Waste to Value: How to Tackle Food Waste (FutureLearn)

Food & Nutrition Sci: Environment

Discover the causes and impact of food waste, and learn how you can tackle it on a personal, community, and national level. Explore how combatting food waste and food loss can help the environment. The significant contribution the food system makes to climate change is widely recognised, and consumers are increasingly concerned about food waste. On this course, you’ll explore how you – as a consumer – can act and inspire others to reduce food waste effectively and sustainably.

Feb 6th 2023

3 Weeks

Sustainability Environment Circular Economy

FutureLearn

University of East Anglia

Identifying Food Fraud (FutureLearn)

Food & Nutrition Sci: Chemistry

An introduction to modern analytical science techniques and how they can be used to uncover food fraud. The food industry is one of the most important commercial sectors in the world. Everyone uses it, but how many people abuse it? As we witness the increasing globalisation of the supply chain, a growing challenge is verifying the questionable identity of raw materials in the food we eat.

Oct 5th 2020

4 Weeks

Food Analytical Chemistry Analytical Techniques

FutureLearn

The Open University,The Open University Business School

Business Fundamentals: Project Management (FutureLearn)

Management & Leadership Business

Gain the basic skills to manage all phases of project lifecycle effectively, using the most appropriate methods and tools. Whatever the type or scale of your project, delivering great results, on time and within budget, is always a challenge. This online course introduces you to the essential skills and processes that support successful project management and helps you apply them to your own context.

No sessions available

4 Weeks

Business Innovation Project Management

FutureLearn

St George's, University of London,Bayer

Managing Innovation: Learning to Prototype for Business (FutureLearn)

Business

Understand how to pitch innovative ideas using prototypes, and develop your skills by creating your own prototype. In order for companies to remain competitive, they have to create innovative products, processes or services to satisfy new or existing customers. Prototypes allow you to test your ideas early on to get invaluable feedback informing you about what the customers really want.

Apr 5th 2021

3 Weeks

Business Innovation Prototyping

FutureLearn

University of Leeds

Innovation: the Key to Business Success (FutureLearn)

Management & Leadership

Understand commercial innovation, how ideas emerge and become reality, with this free online course developed with Marks & Spencer. This short free online course, which benefits from CPD accreditation, is designed for anyone interested in commercial innovation. Whether you run your own business or are a cog in a bigger wheel, work on your own or are part of a large multinational organisation, this course will help you see how you can be an agent for change and help push forward innovation.

No sessions available

3 Weeks

Business Innovation Business Innovations

FutureLearn

Aalto University,EIT Climate-KIC

Innovation in EdTech: Hacking the Challenges of Digital Education (FutureLearn)

Education Health & Society

Explore how digital technologies are transforming education, and devise forward-thinking solutions to the challenges of EdTech. Develop innovative ideas to improve the future of digital education. On this course, you’ll be introduced to emerging educational technologies, and explore how to solve issues around teaching with technology that educators and institutions are facing worldwide.

Dec 20th 2021

4 Weeks

Innovation Education Digital Age

FutureLearn

Queen’s University Belfast,EIT Food,EIT

Revolutionising the Food Chain with Technology (FutureLearn)

Sci: Environment

Explore how technology and digitalisation can change how the food system operates, reducing waste and environmental pressures. Discover how innovative technologies could revolutionise the food sector. Food quality and safety is increasingly under threat as natural resources are stretched by climate change, hunger, and explosive population growth. On this course, you’ll learn how the food sector can respond to these challenges by adopting innovative tech.

Jan 2nd 2023

5-12 Weeks

Food Innovation Technology

FutureLearn

University of Leeds

Transport Systems: Global Issues and Future Innovations (FutureLearn)

Engineering Sci: Environment

Discover how the transport sector can develop infrastructures that meet the needs of a 21st century population. Explore how and why transport systems must change in the 21st century. What are the challenges faced by today’s transport sector? How can transport professionals develop systems that meet the needs of the 21st century?

Feb 16th 2026

2 Weeks

Innovation Transportation Transport Systems