Careers in Food Service and Nutrition Management
The courses in food and nutrition management are no longer restricted to helping students learn how to run a food establishment or how to retain all essential nutrients while cooking or what to eat to ensure good health. The scope of these programs has increased multiple folds, helping students build careers in other areas of food service and nutrition management, such as:
- Food nutrition counselling
- Weight management
- Food and nutrition consulting
- Menu planning at commercial and clinical establishments
- Quality control during food preparation
- Food storage and distribution without losing essential nutrients
- Food property analysis
- Food service accounting
- Food marketing and merchandising
- Food services systems management
- Labour cost control in food production and service organizations
- Recipe development and costing
- Healthcare menu planning
- Sanitation, safety and hygiene during food production, service, storage and distribution
- Commercial purchasing
- Public relations for spas, fitness centres and food service organizations
The food service and nutrition management Program in Centennial College industry is rapidly growing. People have become more health conscious. Even healthcare facilities are working towards offering better food service to their patients. Not only this, all big and small commercial food service and nutrition management businesses or establishments are gearing towards providing improved services to their clients. Moreover, they need to meet quality standards set by local, national or international governing bodies, depending upon the scope and area of their business.
In such a scenario, employers are keen on hiring professionals who are well versed in various aspects of food service and nutrition management and can help them improve their food production and service standards. The job prospects are bright; however, it cannot be denied that the competition in the job market is fierce.
The employers prefer to hire individuals with thorough understanding in normal and clinical nutrition, institutional and community environments, and planning, preparation and distribution of food and safety and sanitation standards and related policies, procedures and regulations.
Food Service Program
Students considering building careers in this field are required to have undergone at least a post-secondary program in food service and nutrition management. In fact, this is the minimum educational prerequisite to enter the world of work.
A food service program equips students with the knowledge and skills required to pursue challenging careers as managers in growing food service and health industry. The program is designed to prepare students to work as diet technicians, quality control technicians, dietary managers, food service coordinators and food and nutrition managers in different clinical, institutional and business settings, such as
- Hospitals
- Extended care facilities
- Industrial cafeterias
- Food manufacturers
- Seniors' residences
- Nursing homes
- Schools
- Community agencies
- Fitness centres
- Airline food services
With the knowledge of nutrition and food service, students also acquire strong communication, interpersonal and computing skills. Centennial College's two-year program in food service and nutrition management combines classroom learning, hands-on-lab and a seven-week supervised work experience in a healthcare facility.
Enrolment Guide
To apply for this program, students will need:
- Secondary school diploma or equivalent
- English Grade 12 C or University or equivalent
- Mathematics Grade 11 M or 12 C or University or equivalent
Additional requirements:
- Annual police check with vulnerable sector screening
- Completion and annual renewal of a recognized course in CPR
- Completion and annual renewal of a recognized course in Standard First Aid
- Completion of mask fit testing
- Completion of a pre-clearance health form by a registered medical practitioner
