BSc (Honours) Food and Nutrition
Four years full-time (including one year work placement) or three years full-time
UCAS code • DB44
Location • City Campus
Subject area • Food and nutrition
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View a 360 degree tour of our kitchens.
View profiles of students on this course
Watch videos explaining what makes our tourism, hospitality and events department unique, the facilities we have available and the student support we offer.
Read about our food and nutrition staff.
Watch one of our students talking about our food and nutrition courses.
At a glance
Gain the professional, practical and theoretical skills needed for a variety of careers in the food industry. This is an applied course, which focuses on the key stages involved in producing a new food product from selecting the raw materials through to development, production and launch. You can then further develop these skills and improve your employability with a one year placement with international organisations such as Unilever, GlaxoSmithKline and Nestlé.
Key points
• Understand the practical side of food processing, product development, quality management and applied nutrition in the food industry.
• Develop key analytical and professional skills, as well as management and marketing expertise.
• Gain practical experience with hands-on modules using industry-equivalent equipment.
• Take a one year placement with a major food company such as Innocent or Kraft.
What is food and nutrition?
Studying food and nutrition involves learning about aspects of food science, food processing, raw materials, microbiology, nutrition and product development to gain an understanding of the critical issues facing organisations involved in food manufacturing, distribution and retailing.
This course
Gain a hands-on understanding of key aspects of the food industry, such as food processing and applied nutrition, on a course with a strong practical focus.
Strong links with major food retailers and manufacturers such as Tesco, Sainsbury's, Haribo and Samworth Brothers have enabled us to develop a course that meets industry needs resulting in excellent career opportunities.
You work with many ingredients and use food processing equipment that reflects facilities found in industry. These include retorts (industrial pressure cookers) used to make heat sterilised products, specialist freezing equipment for manufacturing ice cream, freeze drying, and modified atmosphere packaging (MAP) for the preservation of food.
You are taught by lecturers who have a mix of industry, research and consultancy experience. Staff have been involved in a range of projects, from working in health promotion for councils, to working in quality management for companies like Unilever and Heinz. Their industry knowledge ensures that you gain real insights into the practices and developments of the modern food and nutrition industries, while studying on the course.
Your learning involves • lectures • seminars • workshops • projects • laboratory sessions in our modern facilities at City Campus.
You also work on industrial projects and food industry case studies in your final year to develop your knowledge of current industry and enhance your practical skills. Opportunities also exist to work with our Food Innovation Research Centre on live projects for the food industry.
You learn key analytical and professional skills, as well as project management and marketing skills. These are invaluable for a range of roles and industries.
In year three, you get the opportunity to take a one year paid work placement in industry. This is your chance to put into practice what you have learnt on the course and develop new skills. It also increases your industry knowledge and experience, as well as your employability and starting salary. We help you find a suitable high quality placement and support you while you are there.
Previous students have taken placements at companies such as • Kraft • Sainsbury’s • Tesco • Marks and Spencer • Hotel Chocolat • Unilever • Nestlé • Dairy Crest • Birds Eye • Premier Foods.
Key areas of study
Key areas include • food composition and safety • understanding food and ingredient selection • food technology • food product development • food quality management • food innovation • nutrition • epidemiology • business • human resources • consumer perceptions of food • marketing.
Our food and nutrition lecturers are in demand for their industry expertise. Many have national and international research reputations spanning a range of themes, including obesity and appetite, plant bioactives and food supply.
Related courses
You apply for this course through UCAS.
2013/14 academic year
For 2013 entry, membership of professional bodies and mandatory UK field trips are included in the course fee.
The course fee may be subject to annual inflationary increase. For further information on fees and funding see www.shu.ac.uk/study/ug/fees-and-funding
2013/14 academic year
Typically £11,880 a year
2014/15 academic year
Typically £11,880 a year
The course fee may be subject to annual inflationary increase. For further information on fees, scholarships and bursaries see www.shu.ac.uk/international/fees
• coursework • examinations
Find out about work placements and how we can support your placement experience.
Optional year-long work placements are normally gained by competitive interview and are not a guaranteed part of a course.
Experimenting in our first class kitchens
Key Information Set 
Kitchens
Our kitchens have a wide range of specialist equipment for product development, testing and research.
Charlotte Burton
BSc (Honours) Food and Nutrition
'It instantly felt like I would enjoy living and studying in Sheffield. I come from quite a small town and felt that Sheffield had the same feeling you get from living in a small community, where everyone looks out for each other.
'The facilities that Sheffield Hallam could offer a food student were up to date and showed me that they took the course seriously, unlike some other universities I visited.
'When I first applied I received great support from the University, and was invited onto an invitation day where the whole process was explained to me fully, and made me feel very comfortable about making the leap into independence and university life. I was also made aware of what support I could receive as a dyslexic student.
'Whilst on the course I have had further support in the form of one to ones with lecturers and help from a specialist dyslexic support tutor.
'I chose my course at Sheffield Hallam as it is one of the leading universities for food courses. It offers state of the art equipment such as retorts and has its own industrial and domestic kitchens as well as sensory booths and fully equipped laboratories.
'I am a member of stage services and have been since my first week of university. I am now the chairman of this standing committee. We are responsible for the technical part of any club night events that are held in the Union such as Pounded and Sheff1 or external events, such as Winter Varsity and the Balls. We have meetings regularly and I believe I have made friends for life out of stage services.
'I have also been a member of SHUSAC since the first week of university. We are a scuba diving club with the British Sub Aqua Club. We run pool sessions every Wednesday at Ponds Forge with lectures before hand. We have many socials and help raise funds for the club through the selling of club night tickets.
'The best thing about Sheffield Hallam University is the support network in place if anything should go wrong.
'My advice to potential students is when you come to university enrol into clubs and societies, you will find one or two that you really enjoy and make great friends. Don't be afraid of leaving your home, throw yourself head first into the university experience as it only last a few years and you can gain life long friends by doing something you might not have considered before.
'The best thing about Sheffield is the atmosphere of the city, it feels more like a small town than a large City. It's like a home from home.'
Profiles
Charlotte Burton
BSc (Honours) Food and Nutrition
An interconnected department (1:23)
Find out the benefits of studying in an interconnected department.
Kevin Nield, head of the leisure and food management department, discusses how Sheffield Hallam University is unique in that we have an interconnected department which covers tourism, hospitality, events and food, which doesn't usually happen in other universities.
He also talks about our rates of employment being high despite the recession. Lots of our students are going into the sector and then moving up into management.
Practical facilities (1:35)
Find out about the practical facilities we have available.
These include kitchens, a restaurant, tasting booths, and food science labs which are of industry standard.
There are 72 members of permanent teaching staff, and specialist lecturers from industry can also be brought in to teach.
Support for international students (1:02)
Find out how we'll support you while studying at Sheffield Business School.
Kevin Nield, heads of the leisure and food management department within Sheffield Business School, talks about support provided for our international students - from their safe arrival in the country to bank accounts and accommodation.
More videos
An interconnected department (1:23)
Find out the benefits of studying in an interconnected department.
Practical facilities (1:35)
Find out about the practical facilities we have available.
Support for international students (1:02)
Find out how we'll support you while studying at Sheffield Business School.
Trevor Simper
Senior lecturer
I am a senior lecturer and researcher in the food and nutrition group within the Sheffield Business School at Sheffield Hallam University. I am also a registered public health nutritionist.
My undergraduate studies were in health with sport science, and I have a Masters degree in public health and health promotion and a postgraduate teaching certificate in higher education.
My current doctoral studies focus on weight management, nutrition, exercise and behaviour.
I co-ordinated the Bradford Food Network for several years, which won the prestigious Caroline Walker Trust award for improving public health through good food in 2005.
I have worked for a variety of health promotion departments across the country including the London Borough of Southwark, East Staffordshire Borough Council, Rotherham Primary Care Trust and Bradford Health Development Service before I became a full-time academic.
I have published over 20 academic and peer reviewed articles and have managed or been involved in nearly £2 million worth of consultancy projects for the University, including Small Changes, Moving Forward, Be Active and several other nutrition and public health projects in recent years.
John Nicolson
Senior lecturer and course leader
I graduated from the University of Glasgow with a BSc (Honours) degree in Microbiology with Molecular biology.
I have specialist teaching and research experience in the areas of food safety, food microbiology, food biotechnology, and food technology. My particular research expertise is in microbiological water quality, and the distribution of Cryptosporidium in water supplies.
I began teaching at the West of Scotland Agricultural College, and have taught at Sheffield Hallam Uiniversity for the past 20 years.
Einir Williams
Senior lecturer
I joined Sheffield Hallam University in May 2007 as a senior lecturer in food technology. My work is divided between teaching undergraduate food and nutrition courses and managing commercial and training projects for clients.
I have been involved in education and training within further and higher education system in the UK for the past eight years, and have conducted research into the use of e-media as a distance learning tool for the food industry.
I have also worked internationally for organisations including the Food and Agricultural Organisation, United Nations Industrial Development Organisation, Heinz and the former New Zealand Dairy Board, working in food quality management, new product development and supply chain management.
Jacqueline Lomas
Senior lecturer
I am a senior lecturer at Sheffield Hallam University with a PhD in human nutrition.
My specialist areas of interest include the effects of diet on Alzheimer's disease and methods of dietary assessment.
I have been lecturing at Sheffield Hallam for 10 years.
Andrew Fairclough
Associate lecturer
I was appointed in 2007 to act as a research fellow for the Centre for Food Innovation to enhance the profile of the centre. I have 16 years experience within biomedical sciences at Sheffield Hallam University, specialising in microbiology, molecular biology and analytical biochemistry.
I am also an associate lecturer at Sheffield Hallam covering food hygiene, health and safety, the composition of food and also technically supporting food biotechnology.
Alison Bell
Senior lecturer
I have a BSc (Honours) in Home Economics from the University of Surrey and an MA in Learning and Teaching from Sheffield Hallam University.
Having spent time working in the food industry, I have now been lecturing at Sheffield Hallam for many years, more recently in the area of academic and professional skills for Food and Nutrition students.
Wayne Martindale
Research fellow
I am a research fellow in the Centre for Food Innovation and I am currently working on many aspects of resource efficiency within the food industry and novel ways of communicating food supply chain issues.
I work on multidisciplinary projects within the food and drink sector. My specialist areas are technical communications within agri-food systems and how they impact on our food and industrial supply chain.
I have worked with the Environment Agency, Organisation of Economic Cooperation and Development, Agronomy Department Purdue university, Secretariat for International Landcare Australia, British Grassland Society and many companies and agencies across the food sector.
Alison Campbell
Senior lecturer
I am a food technologist with a background in the food industry. I previously worked in the fields of product and process development , projects and quality assurance for a variety of companies including Unilever, RHM, and Northern Foods.
I have been teaching at Sheffield Hallam University since 2006.
Jenny Paxman
Senior lecturer
I have a BA (Honours) in anthropology from Durham University and an MMedSci in human nutrition and MPhil in nutrition from Sheffield University. I am a registered nutritionist and have a postgraduate certificate in learning and teaching.
I have been working as a senior lecturer in nutrition for Sheffield Hallam University since September 2002. I have taught nutrition at both degree and MSc level.
I am involved in ongoing research, particularly in relation to obesity prevention and appetite.
My previous work includes sessional nutrition work for South West Sheffield PCT.
Anna Hall
Course leader
I have a BSc (Honours) in Nutrition Health and Lifestyles and an MSc in Nutrition and Public Health Management, both from Sheffield Hallam University.
I am an associate public health nutritionist and course leader for the BSc Nutrition Health and Lifestyles and BSc Public Health Nutrition.
I have been a lecturer at Sheffield Hallam University for three years. I have also been involved in a variety of research projects focusing on weight management and physical activity, including small changes, be active, and moving forward. I have a particular interest in the role of dietary fibre and seaweed in appetite control and health.
Tony Lynn
Senior lecturer
I am the course leader for MSc Nutrition with Public Health Management course.
I have an undergraduate degree and PhD in nutrition. My PhD investigated the effect of raw and processed vegetables on DNA damage in colonocytes.
I have previously worked as a nutritional scientist for the Scottish Foods Standard Agency and as a researcher in the human nutrition unit at the University of Sheffield.
My main area of interest is the effect of phytochemicals on health.
Profiles
Trevor Simper
Senior lecturer
John Nicolson
Senior lecturer and course leader
Einir Williams
Senior lecturer
Jacqueline Lomas
Senior lecturer
Andrew Fairclough
Associate lecturer
Alison Bell
Senior lecturer
Wayne Martindale
Research fellow
Alison Campbell
Senior lecturer
Jenny Paxman
Senior lecturer
Anna Hall
Course leader
Tony Lynn
Senior lecturer
About the course (0:47)
One of our students talks about her experiences on the course, the bits she has enjoyed most and how she has personally developed during her studies.
The nutrition fair (1:32)
One of our students talks about the annual nutrition fair, which nutrition students organise as part of their course to help local food fans make sensible decisions about nutrition and lifestyle.
Stalls at the fair include information on how to
• grow your own vegetables
• eat healthily in pregnancy
• make easy meals from scratch
The fair is open to everyone and offers tasting opportunities, interactive activities and information about diet, food, health and lifestyle. In 2010 it was sponsored by Asda.
Assessment methods (0:50)
One of our students talks about the different assessment methods that are used on the course and how they are varied to meet the different strengths of individuals.
What next (1:11)
A group of our students talk about their career plans after graduating from the course.
