Nutrition and Food Science faculty provide training in nutrition science, community nutrition, and clinical nutrition with a focus on improving health outcomes, as well as food safety and security for a sustainable food system.

The vision of the Nutrition and Food Sciences Department at the University of Vermont is to be a leading academic department of excellence in nutrition and food sciences. We conduct research that contributes to the public good by advancing knowledge in inclusive nutrition; safe and innovative foods, food security and food agency; and sustainable food systems. In our teaching, research and outreach we seek to improve health outcomes, to advance sustainable food and nutrition practices and to minimize environmental cost.

The mission of the Nutrition and Food Sciences Department is to provide to our students innovative instruction and practice, conduct cutting-edge research, and engaging career building outreach programs in the filed of nutrition and food sciences.

Three options to focus your education and your future career Concentrations Within the Nutrition and Food Sciences Major

Dietetics

The Dietetics concentration fulfills all the requirements towards becoming a Registered Dietitian.

Food Science

The Food Sciences concentration ensures a thorough grounding in food safety and food quality. The program prepares students for various careers in the food industry.

Nutrition, Sustainability and Society

The Nutrition, Sustainability and Society concentration will prepare students for careers in nutrition for which it is not necessary to be an RDN, including many careers in policy, public health and community programming.

Nutrition and Food Sciences News

10/05/2024

Let's Talk: Taylor Swift and Body Image — Professors in Nutrition and Food Sciences Lead Research Discussion at Dana Health Sciences Library

Taylor Swift can fill a room. Apparently, so can professors Lizzy Pope and Kelsey Rose. On Thursday, October 3, 2024, 30 people attended a talk in Dana Health Sciences Library titled “Let’s Talk: Taylor Swift and Body Image.” A discussion was led by the authors of a recently published paper —...

A packed room in Dana Health Sciences Library found a lively discussion about Taylor Swift and body image

07/15/2024

Taylor Swift’s Impact on Fans’ Body Image Attitudes Mostly Positive

First study on the health effects of Taylor Swift’s celebrity finds an overall positive influence on fans’ attitudes on body image and disordered eating. Taylor Swift’s past struggles with body image, disordered eating, and body objectification have had an overall...

Three images of Taylor Swift in concert

05/24/2024

Nutrition and Food Sciences Faculty Member Trishnee Bhurosy

Trishnee Bhurosy, Ph.D., started experimenting in the kitchen at the age of eight, paving the way for a successful career in nutrition. Born and raised in Mauritius, an island located southeast of Madagascar in the Indian Ocean, Bhurosy was inspired by nutrition research and completed her...

Photo of Faculty Trishnee Bhurosy with grass and trees behind

01/23/2024

Pope Receives Prelock Award for Exceptional Online Instruction

UVM Nutrition and Food Sciences Associate Professor Lizzy Pope asks her students to embody bile, triglycerides, or hydrochloric acid. Then they learn about fat digestion as part of a musical which utilizes multiple pop songs...

Lizzy Pope

06/05/2023

COVID-19 Food Support Programs Are Ending. Now What? Research May Hold Answers

As the world begins to emerge from the initial impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, many emergency food support programs are ending. Yet, researchers say the conditions that led to the creation of the programs haven't gone away. "There's a lag effect in how long it takes for society to...

Researchers Ashley McCarthy and Farryl Bertmann discuss their research on COVID and food security as another researcher looks on

05/18/2023

UVM Food Systems Research Center Announces Five Winners of Sustainability Metrics Competition

The University of Vermont (UVM) Food Systems Research Center (FSRC) is pleased to announce the winners of the 2023 Sustainability Metrics Competition, a three-year project totaling $3 million to assess how to measure sustainable food...

An aerial view of a farm.

05/03/2023

Announcing Food SURF class of 2023

The Food Systems Research Center (FSRC) is very excited to announce the 2023 Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) program awardees, supported by UVM’s Fellowships, Opportunities, & Undergraduate Research (FOUR) office...

Food Systems Research Center banner

02/06/2023

Vermont’s Food Waste Laws are Popular, But Vexing Issues Remain

Vermonters largely support laws on food scraps and single-use plastics, but some are confused about composting rules, and frustrated with the state’s inability to compost biodegradable containers and tableware.  These takeaways are from the first research yet to tackle the state’s...

A man dumps food scraps from a bucket into a larger composter.

01/11/2023

Meet the FSRC Team

This month we are featuring the Food Systems Research Center team in lieu of a Researcher of the Month. Learn a little about our team's...

Polly Ericksen

12/05/2022

Meet Andrea Etter: Food Systems Researcher of the Month

Andrea Etter is an Assistant Professor of Nutrition and Food Science and is December 2022's Food Systems Research Center...

Andrea Etter.