Food Science

Published: 15 August 2004

What do you come out with? BSc

Why do it? Because the job prospects are excellent. You realise that the food and drinks industry is Europe's largest manufacturing industry and you want to be part of the 0.5 million people they employ in the UK alone. You like science but you want to apply it to everyday life. You're interested in food and health, safety and diet.

What's it about? Food science, dietetics and nutrition are often three separate degrees. Food science degrees tend to cover food production, genetically modified food, hygiene and safety, processing, storing, distributing and packaging. Nutrition degrees tend to be more about the nature and composition of food materials and the fundamental, advanced and clinical aspects of human nutrition. The role of food in the promotion of health is key. Dietetics is more focused on diagnosing diseases and how to treat them through diet. You need a state registration in dietetics to call yourself a dietition where as at the moment anyone can call themselves a nutritionist. Surrey has two degrees, the first in nutrition and food science, the second combining food science and microbiology. Leeds has four degrees: food science, food production, processing and marketing, food science (Europe) and food science (industrial). Heriot-Watt has a degree in brewing and distilling, the only one in the UK. Reading has a BSc in food science with business studies and a BSc food technology. At Reading it is compulsory to take all sciences in the first year. In later years you study food processing and can specialise in nutrition. Nottingham offers degrees in BSc Nutrition and Food Science BSc, Nutrition BSc and Nutritional Biochemistry BSc. Nottingham gives you the chance to go abroad to Australasia or Europe. Most food science students choose to spend one year in industry with either a small product development company or a large multinational like Mars or in retail. Newcastle offers a food and nutrition BSc. The first year is a foundation year in biological sciences. There is plenty of lab work involved although by the fourth year you can choose to opt out if you don't need it for your dissertation.

How long is a degree? Three years. Four years in Scotland or if you do an industrial placement as is compulsory at Newcastle. You can even take a year abroad as offered by Nottingham

What are the students like? Scientists. The majority are female. But Heriot-Watt's brewing and distilling course has only one woman out of 12. At Surrey, 10 to 15 per cent are mature students. Queen's Belfast and Nottingham have more women than men (ratio 60:40), at Reading it is more like 75:25.

How is it packaged? Testing is mainly by exam at Queen's Belfast and Surrey. At Leeds the ratio of exams to assessment is 80:20. At Newcastle it is more like 75:25. At Heriot-Watt, Nottingham and Reading it's 60:40.

How cool is it? Not. Though it should be given the huge interest in such issues as GM food, mad cow disease, botulism and other nasties. There is also the fact that you can walk straight into a decent job paying Â£20,000.

What A-levels do you need? Leeds want chemistry but also like you to have one other science - either physics, maths or biology. Queen's Belfast require either chemistry or biology A-level and like you to have another science. For Surrey's food production, processing and marketing degree you need one science A-level, usually biology. Reading asks for 1 core science A-level and a second at AS. Nottingham wants two siences..Surrey and Heriot-Watt ask for two science A-levels (chemistry and biology). Newcatsle like biology.

What grades? CCC at Reading, Surrey and Heriot-Watt. The latter requires Bs in Scottish highers. BBB at Leeds; BCC/AB Queen's Belfast, BCC-BCD at Nottingham. BBC at Newcastle.

Will you be interviewed? No at Queen's Belfast, Newcastle, Leeds and Heriot-Watt, but at Surrey interviews are the norm.

Will it keep you off the dole? Yes. Graduates can get jobs easy peasy in food manufacture, product development, production, management, sales and marketing, purchasing and contract management for companies. A few go into teaching, a few into research.

What do students say? Nameeta Baichoo, 24, Food Science BSc, Nottingham. "I found it really interesting and relevant to what I wanted to do. Not all the coursework was fun. You could often apply what you learnt to the real world - like designing a food product. It was challenging and hardwork, but all worth it. I want to continue in the food industry. I am currently working with chocolate for my PHD!"

Where's best for teaching? For food science: Readingwas awarded 22 out of 24. Queen's Belfast scored 21.

Where's best for research? For food science and technology: Leeds got a A*. Nottingham and Reading recieved a 5. Heriot-Watt and Queen's Belfast got a 4.

Where can you do it? For nutrition and dietetics:Aberdeen, Adertay Dundee, Bath Spa, Bournemouth, Cardiff, Central Lancashire, Coventry, Glasgow, Glasgow Caledonian, Greenwich, Huddersfield, King's, Kingston, Leeds, Leeds Metropolitan, LJM, London Metropolitan, London South Bank Manchester Metroploitan, Newcastle, Northumbria, Nottingham, Oxford Brookes, Plymouth, Portsmouth, Queen's Belfast, Robert Gordon, Roehampton Surrey, Sheffield Hallam, Southampton, St Mary's College, Staffordshire, Surrey, Teeside, Ulster, Westminster.

Where's the cutting edge? Surrey has the biggest academic nutrition and food safety research group in the UK; Leeds specialises in food colloids, food processing, nutrition and biochemistry. Queen's Belfast does high pressure research, putting food under very high pressure to preserve it, conducted by Drs Margaret Patterson and Don Johnston. Reading is the only institution to have a pilot scale processing plant and is strengthening its research into human nutrition. Nottingham is strong in research in food flavour, food structure and the impact of processing on nutrition. Newcastle is hot on gene nutrient interactions.

Who are the stars? Professor Arthur Gilmour, food safety, at Queen's Belfast. At Surrey there's Professor Mike Clifford, food safety, Dr Simon Park, genetic basis of pathogens in disease-causing organisms such as listeria and Dr Sue New, who won the Young Investigator award for research into osteoporosis. Professor Eric Dickinson, colloids, Professor Bronek Wedzicha, food biochemistry, and Dr Chris Kennedy, processing of frozen and chilled food, all at Leeds. Professors Christine Williams, nutrition, Don Mottram, flavour chemistry, Glen Gibson, probiotic bacteria, and Dr, Parveen Yaqoob, nutrition, at Reading. Professors Raulston Laurie, John Mitchell, Andy Tailor, Steve Harding and Will Waites at Nottingham. Professor John Mathers at Newcastle.

Added value: Students at Surrey can do a one-year industrial placement, sometimes abroad. Students have gone to Germany, Switzerland and Australia. Queen's Belfast students are given heavy doses of IT. This autumn, they will be able to sign up for courses that give them a European Computer Users' Licence.