How Food is Made. Understanding Food Processing Technologies (FutureLearn)

You will cover the history of food processing, from its origins to current modern industrial processes. You will explore the advantages and disadvantages of food processing technologies and understand their impact on health, safety, quality, and sustainability. Upon competing this course, you will feel empowered to make more informed decisions about the food you eat.
(Please note that the term ‘food processing’ is also often used to describe the formulation of food products and the addition of extra ingredients such as preservatives, stabilizers, fortifiers and flavourings. This course focuses on the technologies rather than the formulation.)

What topics will you cover?

• The history of food processing – why it emerged and why it is important
• Examples of both traditional and innovative food processing technologies and the products they affect
• Consideration of the advantages and disadvantages of specific food processing technologies, their impact on health, safety, quality and sustainability
• How EU law keeps the consumer safe and healthy and food on the supermarket shelves

What will you achieve?
By the end of the course, you‘ll be able to...

• Explore the principles of food processing and gain an understanding of both traditional and modern industrial techniques
• Justify the importance of food processing to society in terms of health, safety, quality and sustainability
• Engage with the debate on how beneficial certain processing techniques are to human health
• Evaluate EU law and regulations
• Reflect on the challenges of feeding growing populations safely and sustainably