See the Department of Nutritional Sciences website for the most updated information about the Food & Society Certificate including how to apply, coursework requirements, FAQs, and contact information!
Food and Society Certificate
Though food-related issues vary widely in focus, they are all linked by their complexity and are deeply interdisciplinary in nature, each relating to topics of health and nutrition, genetics, politics, culture, the environment, economics and business.
The Food and Society Certificate provides an opportunity for students to appreciate the full range of these interdisciplinary ties and apply new perspectives to their primary academic majors and careers. Students will be able to apply a more comprehensive understanding of the implications of their actions and decisions, find better solutions to today’s complex problems, formulate more effective public policy, become more informed and active citizens and make healthier choices for themselves and their families.
Why it Matters
Food is a complex and rapidly emergent topic in today’s society. In America and around the globe, issues such as global production practices, environmental sustainability and the content of school lunches are at the forefront of scientific inquiry, political debate and dinner-table conversation.
Of the 7 billion people living on the planet, over 1 billion go hungry every night, and even more are overweight or clinically obese.