Introduction to Food Science (FutureLearn)

Introduction to Food Science (FutureLearn)

Discover the fascinating world of food science and feel empowered to make safe, healthy, and sustainable food choices. Discover topics like food sustainability, integrity, ethics, and constituents. Food and health information is often oversimplified by the media, and recommendations can be inaccurately reported and contradictory to current recommendations.

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

By understanding and learning more about what’s in our food, we can make smarter, more sustainable, and healthier food choices.
On this course, you’ll access trustworthy information on the food system from food industry experts.
You’ll cover topics like food contaminants, food safety, ethical issues, and food sustainability considerations so that you can become a responsible partner in the food system.

What topics will you cover?
● Food Constituents
● The link between diet and health
● Food Integrity (food quality, safety and authenticity)
● Ethical and sustainability considerations in the food system
● The role of the consumer in making safe, healthy and sustainable food choices

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

  • Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of the term food integrity
  • Explore ethical and sustainability issues surrounding food production
  • Assess how the consumer is protected by legislation
  • Explain how food can become contaminated by biological, chemical or physical hazards
  • Identify the role of the consumer in ensuring food safety and becoming change agents in the transition towards a smart, inclusive and trusted food system
  • Reflect on the work organisations are doing in relation to food safety e.g. EFSA
Go to Class
MOOC List is learner-supported. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.

Related Courses

Food Science and Nutrition: From the Farm to You (FutureLearn) FutureLearn
University of Leeds

Food Science and Nutrition: From the Farm to You (FutureLearn)

Follow food’s fascinating journey from the farm to your body and explore new food technologies and nutrition around the world. Discover the science of food and understand the value of nutrition in our diets. On this course, you’ll learn how food science and nutrition helps us to understand and study the fascinating world of food.

Jun 29th 2026
2 Weeks
Working with People and Communities to Improve Health Outcomes (FutureLearn) FutureLearn
NHS England

Working with People and Communities to Improve Health Outcomes (FutureLearn)

Learn how to engage with different people and communities to reduce inequalities and ensure inclusive access to healthcare. Help the people you work with access healthcare services. Understanding how to work effectively with diverse groups can help you better meet the needs of the different people you work with. This two-week course from NHS England will show you how simple changes can create big improvements to people’s lives and transform their access to healthcare services.

Mar 6th 2023
2 Weeks
Perioperative Medicine in Action (FutureLearn) FutureLearn
University College London

Perioperative Medicine in Action (FutureLearn)

Explore perioperative medicine and how you can improve care for the high risk surgical patient. Join this RCoA endorsed course. Too many patients die or suffer prolonged complications following surgery. Perioperative medicine is an emerging, multi-disciplinary approach, which tackles this issue, by optimising the care of high-risk surgical patients. It encompasses disciplines including anaesthetics, surgery, nursing, care of the elderly, physiotherapy and healthcare management.

Jul 1st 2024
4 Weeks
Introduction to Emergency Planning and Preparedness (FutureLearn) FutureLearn
Coventry University

Introduction to Emergency Planning and Preparedness (FutureLearn)

Explore the emergency planning process and learn how to develop emergency plans and preparedness frameworks. When preparing a community for an incident, creating plans for identified risks and implementing mitigation measures is key. Responding to a fire is different than responding to a flood. Different actions and different resources are needed for each of these scenarios.

Jun 3rd 2024
2 Weeks
Dying Well: The Role of Palliative Care and Sedation in End of Life Care (FutureLearn) FutureLearn
Lancaster University

Dying Well: The Role of Palliative Care and Sedation in End of Life Care (FutureLearn)

Improve your care as a healthcare professional or family caregiver with palliative treatment and sedation best practices. How people die stays with those who care about them. Dying well means being able to manage challenging symptoms in clinical care settings, which can sometimes involve the use of sedation or other care options. On this three-week course from Lancaster University, you’ll learn the best practices for managing difficult end of life symptoms. With this knowledge, you’ll be able to improve your care practices as a health and social care professional or a family caregiver.

Oct 16th 2023
3 Weeks
Food Safety and Nutrition: A Global Approach to Public Health (FutureLearn) FutureLearn
University of Leeds

Food Safety and Nutrition: A Global Approach to Public Health (FutureLearn)

Understand global food security issues and learn about research designed to tackle food safety and nutrition challenges. Enhance your knowledge of global food safety and nutrition issues. Food security is reliable access to a sufficient quantity of affordable, safe, and nutritious food.

Sep 23rd 2024
3 Weeks
Climate Change and Resilience in Food Systems (FutureLearn) FutureLearn
University of Leeds,Africap

Climate Change and Resilience in Food Systems (FutureLearn)

Learn new research-led strategies designed to mitigate the effects of climate change on agriculture and food systems. Learn about the effects of climate change and how to build resilience in agriculture and food systems. Even small climate changes can have large-scale consequences in agriculture and food systems with devastating effects for the people and their economies. On this course, you will learn strategies designed to mitigate the impact of climate change, develop resilient food systems and create sustainable development in local communities.

Sep 23rd 2024
2 Weeks
Nutrition: Eating to Live Well (FutureLearn) FutureLearn
Taipei Medical University

Nutrition: Eating to Live Well (FutureLearn)

Explore the importance of nutrition and learn how eating well can support humans to live longer, healthier lives. Discover the effect nutrition has on humans throughout their lives. Have you ever wondered how what you eat affects your health? Nutrition plays a key role in human health and disease prevention. On this course, you will explore the food health crisis of modern times, and learn how nutrition can help humans experience longer and healthier lives.

Apr 15th 2024
4 Weeks
Causes of Human Disease: Exploring Cancer and Genetic Disease (FutureLearn) FutureLearn
University of Leeds

Causes of Human Disease: Exploring Cancer and Genetic Disease (FutureLearn)

Explore how the unravelling of genetic code has led to a deeper understanding of genetic diseases and cancer. It’s widely known that some diseases run in families. The discovery of the structure of DNA and the unravelling of the genetic code has led to a deeper understanding of such diseases. We now know more about the genetic basis of cancer and how cancer cells are formed and reproduce. On this course you’ll explore the structure of DNA, its processes and learn how genetic disease results from DNA alterations.

Sep 23rd 2024
2 Weeks