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Food and Nutritional Sciences

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We all need food to survive: it's a product that will be forever in demand. So it's not surprising that the sector is Europe's largest and most buoyant industry.

Featuring regularly in the national media, food is often found at the centre of debates on such areas as human health and disease, global shortages and surpluses, consumer demand, the rights and wrongs of genetic modification, and food quality and nutrition. Through studying one of our food and nutritional sciences courses, you can explore these issues and prepare yourself for an exciting and relevant career.

The University of Reading is in the top 5 universities for food science in the UK (5th in The Times and The Sunday Times Good University Guide, 2022). The University of Reading is also a world authority on human nutrition, food chemistry, chemical engineering, microbiology and food law. Our staff are actively engaged in world-class research and will tailor their teaching to reflect changing trends and emerging technologies within the sector.

Our selection of courses enables you to pursue your interests within the food sector, whether you are keen to study it from a technological, nutritional or business angle.

You will have access to one of the largest ranges of dedicated food teaching facilities in a UK university. These include a large pilot plant containing processing equipment for food product development work, advanced taste panel facilities, the Hugh Sinclair Unit of Human Nutrition Studies and specialist laboratories for assessing human gut microflora.

Graduates from many of our degrees will be recognised as professional food scientists or food technologists by the Institute of Food Science and Technology. 98% of our graduates were in work and/or study within 15 months of graduating [1]. Your time here will prepare you for an exciting career ahead.

Graduates from our nutrition courses will also be eligible to apply to become a Registered Associate Nutritionist with the Association for Nutrition via the direct entry pathway, providing a clear and respected marker of your status as a nutrition professional.

[1] Graduate Outcomes Survey 2018/19; First Degree responders from Food and Nutritional Sciences.

Courses

I have had a keen interest in nutrition and its impact on human health for several years. I chose Reading’s combined Nutrition & Food Science degree because I believe that to be able to understand nutrition and its impact on society today, it is necessary to understand the complete food chain as it operates from ‘farm to plate’. The combination of academic subjects and hands-on work in the department’s pilot plant was one of the aspects of the course that I particularly enjoyed.

Tina Eggers
BSc Nutrition and Food Science with Professional Training

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