The course is a collaboration between Queen's University Belfast, EIT Food, Aarhus University, University of Madrid, CSIC and University of Turin whose experts have come together to create this FREE open online course which starts on Monday 5th October 2020.

The four week course, led by Lead Educator, Dr Michaela Fox, is designed to encourage learners to become responsible partners in the food system and is targeted towards AS and A Level students studying a food subject or seeking a career in food and those who would like to feel empowered to make safe, healthy and sustainable food choices.

Speaking about the course, Dr Fox said,

"Consumers today are often exposed to over simplified, contradictory and inaccurately reported information with regards to food. This can make it difficult to make informed food choices. In partnership with EIT Food, we have designed this course to address these concerns and provide reliable and trustworthy information delivered by academia and experts working in the food system."

With an antipated 4 hours of learning per week, this four week course will include videos, articles, online discussions and exercises, with a test your knowledge multiple choice quiz to round off each week. The topics covered are:

Week 1: Diet and Health

Week 2: Ethical and Sustainability Considerations

Week 3: Food Integrity

Week 4: The Role of the Consumer in making Safe, Healthy and Sustainable Choices

Dr Fox continued,

​"Across the 4 weeks 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 and the curious minds who are looking for reliable information on food constituents; food quality, safety and authenticity; and ethical and sustainability considerations. In particular, we hope the course will serve as a trustworthy source of revision material for 16 to 18-year-old students undertaking a subject related to food."

The course is the third Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) which has been designed and developed by the EIT Food education team at QUB and joins three Small Private Online Courses (SPOCs) which were designed and delivered last year as part of their EIT Food project porfolio. The QUB EIT Food education team were also largely involved in the production of this year's MOOC, 'Understanding Food Supply Chains in a Time of Crisis', which was developed in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

'Introduction to Food Science' is funded by EIT Food and forms part of a range of novel educational activities including workshops, summer schools and online educational programmes for a varied audience including students, entrepreneurs and food professionals.  For more information about EIT Food education, click here.

To find out more or to register for the 'Introduction to Food Science' MOOC, visit : https://www.futurelearn.com/courses/an-introduction-to-food-science