Longest established food and nutrition management program provides many career options

Longest Established Food and Nutrition Management Program Provides Many Career Options To work in the management of food and nutrition, one must not only be familiar with food and nutrition but also business and human relations skills as well as the codes of ethics and competencies of the Canadian Society of Nutrition Management. This combination helps professionals to stand out when applying for challenging careers in the food service industry and signals to employers that they are fully prepared to contribute to the organization for which they are applying.

Centennial College’s Food and Nutrition Management offering is not just a two-year program that focuses on ensuring students obtain a well-rounded education that includes a practical and proactive approach to learning. It is actually the longest established two-year post-secondary program of its sort in the Greater Toronto Area. It is not surprise then that the program has received the President’s Academic Program Recognition Award for Preparation for Job Market, Student Satisfaction, Graduate Satisfaction, Employer Satisfaction and Quality of The Learning Experience.

Admission Requirements: Aside from having an interest in the industry, applicants must have completed an Ontario Secondary School Diploma (OSSD) or equivalent, or mature student status (19 years or older); English Grade 12 C or U, or equivalent (minimum grade required) or take the Centennial College English Skills Assessment for Admission; and Mathematics Grade 11 M or U, or 12 C or U, or equivalent (minimum grade required) or take a Centennial College Math Skills Assessment for Admission.

Theory-Practical Application Balance: Partially a food service program in Toronto, this offering is facilitated in an inclusive environment that sees instructors and professors lecturing in both lab and lecture settings. As such, students are first exposed to theory and then get to apply that theory to see how that theory is applied to tasks they will complete once they graduate. Using Centennial’s Hospitality Management Centre, students learn the practical aspects of quantity food preparation and service, and conduct experiments to learn the physical properties of food. Specific topics include: kitchen production, food properties analysis, introduction to food services, aging and society, food service accounting, organizational behaviour in food services, health care menu planning and more.

Real World Practice: The final seven weeks of the program consist of supervised work experience in a healthcare facility. During this time,

students are considered employees of the company with which they are placed and have the opportunity to see how their roles function, network and enhance their resumes.

Post-graduate Possibilities: Thanks to its reputation, the Canadian Society of Nutrition Management (CSNM) has approved Centennial College’s offering.

As such, graduates are eligible for membership in the CSNM and the Ontario Society of Nutrition Management. CSNM membership is a requirement of the Ontario’s Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care to work in a long-term care facility and many acute care facilities. Graduates have been employed in positions that include food and nutrition manager, food service coordinator, dietary manager, quality control technician and diet technician at companies such as Aramark, Mt. Sinai Hospital, Rouge Valley Health System, Sunnybrook Health Science Centre, University Health Network, Rivera and more.