Food science certification is for professionals working in the food industry who have a bachelor's degree in another field, usually chemistry, physics, engineering, microbiology, biotechnology or other related sciences. Some schools also accept food industry workers with only a high school diploma into their food science certification programs to earn a food science certificate.
In a typical food science certification course, students will take classes on food safety and quality, food chemical safety, food biosecurity and principles of food science. They will also have introductory courses in food science, food processing, food chemistry, food microbiology and food analysis.
Students in food certification programs learn basic food research that will help develop new ways of preserving, processing, packaging and storing food. They will also learn proper food storage and how to analyze food content. At the end of the program, students should be able to determine levels of vitamins, fat, sugar or protein in food. They should also be able to search for substitutes for harmful or undesirable additives.
Most food science certification courses take up to nine weeks or 20 hours of classes. Completing the course will not only earn a student a certificate of proficiency in food science, but it may also qualify him to earn five continuing education credits.
Those with food science certifications on top of another bachelor’s degree may be able to work for the government, helping it enforce food regulations and standards by performing inspections in food processing areas. They may also be able to work for private companies, helping them develop new ways of processing food and stay within government regulations.