Graduate from Food and Nutrition Management in Just Two Years

“It’s not really a hospitality focus but it’s food service operations so the students do some cooking,” explains Bonnie Jasper program coordinator for the Food and Nutrition Management program at Centennial College. “We have four food labs in the program and there’s one in each semester. Although we’re not hospitality or culinary focused if you’re going to do a diet history on a client and they say they eat tuna and brussel sprouts, we need to know what those foods are. In order to be employed as a dietary manager and nutrition technician, you need to be a member of the Canadian Society of Nutrition Management. That’s what makes our Food and Nutrition Management program great, we accredited.”

Jasper gives a great overall look at this undertaking that is offered at Centennial College in the form of a two-year program and results in an Ontario College Diploma. Let’s take a closer look at her observations. First and foremost, it should be noted that to apply, you must present at minimum an Ontario Secondary School Diploma or equivalent or be 19 years of age or older. In addition, you must have compulsory English 12C or U or skills assessment, or equivalent and Math 11M or U or 12C or U or skills assessment, or equivalent.

As Jasper mentioned, the Food and Nutrition Management program holds an accreditation from the Canadian Society of Nutrition Management (CSNM). This ensures that graduates are automatically eligible for membership in the CSNM and OSNM (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 most acute care facilities. With this accreditation comes a focus on Food Service Program and food and nutrition management that is taught through theory-based lectures and hands-on applications, during which students participate in on-campus food labs. Using Centennial’s Hospitality Management Centre for these labs, students learn the practical aspects of quantity food preparation and service and conduct experiments to learn the physical food properties. They also learn about topics such as: Principles of Sanitation, Safety and Hygiene; Kitchen Production, Introduction to Food Services, Food Properties Analysis, Mathematics for Food Service Management, Perspectives on Human Aging and much more.

To complement in-school study, students spend the final seven weeks of the Food and Nutrition Management program in a supervised work experience in a health care facility. The placement provides students with work experience to develop the managerial skills required to fulfill an entry-level position in the health care, food/nutrition industry upon graduation. These positions include dietary managers, nutrition technicians, food and nutrition managers, food service coordinators and quality control technicians.