While primarily aimed at A-Level and AS-Level students studying Food Science, the course will nevertheless be open to anyone with an interest and has already been listed in the Top 30 courses starting in October by digital-education website, Class Central.

In a separate development, an online course previously run by IGFS and EIT Food, Farm to Fork: Sustainable Food Production, has been selected by the supermarket giant Lidl for inclusion in a new app. The app, called Lidl Plus, will reward customers for loyalty but also include perks such as enrolments in food-related courses. The app has already been launched in Britain and the Republic of Ireland and is planned for rollout in Northern Ireland in early 2021.

Meanwhile, Introduction to Food Science will begin on Monday 5 October 2020 and will run for four weeks. Led by Dr Michaela Fox from IGFS, it has been designed to encourage learners to become responsible partners in the food system and is a collaboration between Queen’s University Belfast (IGFS), Aarhus University, University of Madrid, CSIC, University of Turin and EIT Food.

EIT stands for European Institute of Technology and it links education institutes, food retailers, producers and entrepreneurs across Europe in a bid to improve global food systems. With a consumer-centred approach, EIT Food aims to empower innovators, entrepreneurs and students to develop world-class solutions to society’s challenges.

The EIT Food team at Queen’s is based in IGFS and runs a number of research and education interventions. 

Dr Fox said: “Through this latest course, we hope to create an awareness and understanding of the food system; empower citizens to make safe, healthy and sustainable food choices; and spark a new generation of informed consumers. This course is for all citizens who are interested in food; in particular, we hope it will serve as a trustworthy source of revision material for 16 to 18-year-old students.”

See Introduction to Food Science to find out more about this course, including how to register. See EIT Food at Queen’s (IGFS) for more information about EIT Food projects within IGFS.