Food Innovation Management
Bachelor of Food Technology
Content programme
First and second year
The first two years introduce you to the subject area, grouping courses around four themes covering the whole product-development cycle.
It all starts with the seed of a new idea. Go to the supermarket, look at the breakfast products section, and ask yourself: can I think of something new or something better? Then there is the technology: how could this new product be made?
You have to think about its commercial feasibility, because that is always the bottom line. The issues you have to consider are both economic and organisational. Is there a demand for it? To break even, how much consumer demand will you need?
Finally, you make a prototype product on a 'kitchen' scale. You also have to think about selling the product. Who will buy it, how will you package it, how will you advertise it? And what should the price be?
In the second year you extend the knowledge gained in the first year by exploring five themes:
- The consumer: what do customers want, what are the trends, how long will there be a demand for the product?
- The entrepreneur: what is commercially feasible, how do you write a business plan?
- The product: all about meat, dairy products, coffee, tea, beverages and vegetables.
- The production process: how is a product made and how could this process be improved?
- Finally, how do you scale up production? How does large-scale manufacturing affect the recipes, the cooling times or the quality of your kitchen-scale developed product?
Third and fourth year
In the third year you will work on your specialisation: product development and innovation. The first six months are devoted to theoretical and practical subjects. In the second half you do an external work placement in a food company.
The first half of your fourth year is devoted to an elective study programme (known as a minor). This consists of advanced subjects related to a central theme: nutrition and health, for example, or food safety, or quality and the customer. You can also think up your own theme, and thus start to build up a profile as a specialist and professional.
Finally there is the graduation assignment, a project in which you apply your knowledge in a company that fits your major study profile. And then you are ready to become a developer/innovator in the food sector.