College of Agriculture and Life Sciences

Department of Nutrition and Food Sciences

Eat the Rainbow
See how Nutrition and Food Sciences alumna Arealles Ortiz '15 is making it easier to get the right nutrients and eat local, organic fruits and vegetables with her colorful, plant-based popsicle company, Curly Girl Pops. (Photo: Isora Lithgow '16) Read more>>
UVM Alum Finds Sky's the Limit in Vertical Farming
Alex Doty '19, Nutrition and Food Sciences major, combines his passion for food science, plant biology and engineering in his research position at AeroFarms. Read more>>

The mission of the Nutrition and Food Science department is to foster the intellectual and professional growth of our students through engaged teaching, innovative instruction, and community-based applied learning opportunities. We conduct research that contributes to the public good by advancing knowledge in weight inclusive nutrition; safe and innovative foods; food security and food agency; and
sustainable food systems.

You can help.

When you graduate with a degree from the Nutrition and Food Sciences Department, your knowledge and skills will be easily transferrable to the real world. You can serve others by working in health and nutrition promotion and practice, or advocating for a safe and fair food system, or assisting in food and nutrition enterprises, and more.

All Nutrition and Food Sciences majors will be able to:

Interact with accessible, dedicated and expert professors guiding you through your concentration and advising you in ways to translate your focus into various degree and advising you on career paths
Pursue opportunities to work with faculty on diverse and relevant research projects related to your chosen concentration
Explore a wide variety of internships and practicums guided by a faculty coordinator

The Nutrition and Food Sciences (NFS) major allows you to focus on one of three concentrations: Dietetics; Food Sciences; Nutrition, Society and Sustainability.

The concentrations provide focused exploration in order to prepare you for a set of possible career pathways.

The Dietetics concentration fulfills all the requirements towards becoming a Registered Dietitian.
The Food Sciences concentration ensures a thorough grounding in food science (especially food safety and food quality) and will prepare students for various careers in the food industry.
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.