Food Technology

Hardly a day goes by without new, better and healthier foods appearing in the shops. No-one can go without food; consumers’ demands are always developing, and the authorities are always making new demands. It is therefore not surprising that ‘quality’ and ‘innovation’ are the most important words in the food sector - and no wonder it is vital to stay up to date!
 

As a food technologist, you need to think in terms of market, quality and business whilst developing new products. A fantastic challenge for creative, technically-minded ‘foodies’! You will be able to deepen your knowledge of chemistry and economics, while you will also become absorbed in the fascinating world of microbiology, processing, nutrition, safety and health.
 

Could you become part of this dynamic and international world? Do you enjoy technological innovation? Would you embrace the challenge of creating safe and healthy products? Are you determined to maintain your personal development, but unable to choose between technology, management and food-marketing? No problem: as a student of Food Technology, you will be able to blend them all together!
 

This programme has a long history and an excellent reputation, with our international network proving invaluable to our students. The benefits continue when you graduate. There is no shortage of opportunities in the food sector. With so many producers, there are plenty of jobs for people whose knowledge of food safety, marketing and technology span the wide range of business sectors within the food industry.
 

Our graduates quality managers, product developers, project managers, process technologists and food safety advisors. Which is hardly surprising - your studies will have prepared you to excel in all of them.

In the course of the study programme, you can focus on Food Innovation Management or Food Safety and Health.

Try pouring some orange juice into a bowl of milk and let it sit for an hour or so. It will clot. It will not look very appetising and no one will want to buy it. But these days you can buy a drink in the shops that consists of precisely these

ingredients. It does not clot, and it is a great commercial success. There is an enormous demand for new, sometimes unlikely products. Putting them all together takes a combination of skills - in food technology, management and marketing, which explains why “nutrition plus” is at the heart of Van Hall Larenstein’s programme focusing on food innovation. Consumers want ever-increasing variety. Luckily for them, the technical potential for satisfying their desires is growing fast. So while our programme starts by looking at the consumer, it then goes on to look at everything else: not just the market and the product, but quality, management and operational issues as well. But at no point does it ever forget the reason for being in this business: your customers’ satisfied expressions when they have enjoyed your product.

In the second year you do a work placement of ten weeks. The second half of the third year you do an external work placement in a food company. This gives you a taste not only of typical duties and activities, but also of the ractical and social skills that are essential to your chosen profession. Your graduation assignment takes place in a company, in the form of a project.

You may work as a product developer, an innovation manager or a commercial technologist. Many of our graduates work for major food producers such as Unilever or Heinz. Others work for mediumsized firms in the industry like

Droste, Mora or Campbell Soup Company.

The food industry is in constant development: new products and production processes go hand in hand with the ever increasing risks and dangers of the modern world. In order to improve public health, food production companies must adhere to the laws and regulations imposed by food safety authorities. For the final consumer, food safety concerns both short-term illnesses, such as food poisoning, and long-term ones, which can be life-threatening conditions such as diabetes and cardio-vascular diseases.
 

The intersection of all these factors creates the need for specialised professionals in the field of food safety, quality and health. They will develop their understanding and knowledge of key quality and safety issues, as well as gain an insight into the increasingly complex relationship between food and health. If you choose to specialise in Food Safety and Health, you will be challenged to develop your social, political and ethical skills to the fullest, while you will also acquire the basic knowledge of microbiology and technology which will help you to succeed in this field.

In the second year students do a work placement of ten weeks. In the second half of the third year, students can do an external work placement (and later even find a job) at international food companies such as Mars, Nestle, Coca Cola, Pepsi Co, Heinz, Avebe, DSM, as well as at small-scale companies in the field of food industry.

Career opportunities for graduates lie in the field of management; you will be the ‘spider in the web’ for the organisation, linking technology, communication and research. You are likely to start out as a junior food safety specialist and later on you could for instance become a food safety manager, monitoring food safety in food production, which will make you responsible for creating high quality, safe and healthy products. Whether you prefer multinational companies such as Unilever, Heineken and Heinz or small regional producers, the workplace possibilities are vast.