Engaging with Controversies in the Food System

Online Course

EIT Food

Future Learn

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Engaging with Controversies in the Food System

What is the course about?
Prerequisites & Facts
Cost, Certificate & Degree
Reviews & Experiences

What is the course about?

Engaging with Controversies in the Food System

The course Engaging with Controversies in the Food System is an online class provided by EIT Food through Future Learn. It may be possible to receive a verified certification or use the course to prepare for a degree.

Become more confident in making informed decisions about the food you eat by exploring different food controversies.

Course description

Learn how to assess the reliability of different sources of food information
3 weeks

Consumers have never been confronted with so much food choice. Making a decision on what food to eat is affected by many factors, including media reports, diet research findings, and social media.
On this course, you’ll access leading research and expert insights to make sense of some of the most common food controversies – alternative proteins, palm oil, and probiotics.
You’ll understand the viewpoints of stakeholders and reflect on your own food preferences. By improving your knowledge of these food debates, you’ll build the confidence to make more informed decisions about food.

What do we mean by the term ‘controversies’?
Assessing the reliability of different sources of information.
Overview of alternative proteins (especially insects as protein for human consumption).
The pros and cons of alternative proteins and why they’re needed.
Discover the wide variety of products palm oil is found in.
Understand the issues at stake, from the perspectives of nutrition, the environment and worker welfare.
Find out how industry is adapting its practices.
The history of probiotics and their benefits to human health.
Learn about the processes involved in probiotic development, from discovery to product certification.
Gain confidence in analyzing advertisements and health claims.

Demonstrate knowledge of three topical food controversies that affect human health, welfare and the environment
Reflect on your own food preferences and make better informed decisions about which products to buy for yourself and your family
Justify your choices and engage others, contributing to improvements in industry practice and an overall better understanding of the food system amongst consumers
Interpret news reports, apply critical thinking and be proficient at analysing media coverage of food controversies
Reflect on the perspectives of different stakeholders and recognise the myriad challenges and trade-offs such a complex system creates

This course is for anyone curious about what their food contains, and what this means for their health and the environment. Professionals in the food and environment sectors will find this course useful for providing an up to date analysis of topical debates. Teachers may also find this course a useful resource for their students studying food science subjects.

EIT Food
EIT Food is Europe’s leading food innovation initiative, with the aim to create a sustainable and future-proof food sector.
University of Reading
The University of Reading has a reputation for excellence in teaching, research and enterprise.
European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT)
This activity has received funding from EIT Food, the innovation community on Food of the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT), a body of the EU, under the Horizon 2020, the EU Framework Programme for Research and Innovation.

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Prerequisites & Facts

Engaging with Controversies in the Food System

Course Topic

Agriculture, Food Tech, Nature & Environment

University, College, Institution

EIT Food

Course Skill Level

see course summary

Course Language

English

Place of class

Online, self-paced (see curriculum for more information)

Degree

Certificate

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Degree & Cost

Engaging with Controversies in the Food System

To obtain a verified certificate from Future Learn / EIT Food you have to finish this course or the latest version of it, if there is a new edition. The class may be free of charge, but there could be some cost to receive a verified certificate or to access the learning materials. The specifics of the course may have been changed, please consult the provider to get the latest quotes and news.

EIT Food

Engaging with Controversies in the Food System

provided by Future Learn

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