Studying both food science and nutrition will leave you uniquely placed within the industry to understand raw ingredients, their nutritional content, and the effect of processing and storage on food quality and nutritional value. Chronic diseases such as heart disease, cancer, obesity and diabetes and ageing are all influenced by the diet we consume. Functional foods are foods that make a specific health claim and these products can only be released for sale in the UK if there is sound scientific evidence to support the claim. Opportunities exist within the food industry for students who are scientifically trained in both food science and nutrition. They are uniquely placed to understand raw ingredients, their nutritional content, and the effect of processing and storage on food quality (colour, flavour, texture) and nutritional value. They will also appreciate the physiological link between consumption, nutrient uptake and health benefit or risk

The food and drink industry is Europe's largest manufacturing industry – employing half a million people in the UK alone. A wide range of career options are available to graduates, including Nutritionist and food labelling advisor Product or process technologist (manufacturing or retail) New product development Quality assurance technologist Specifications technologist Commercial and manufacturing options Raw materials buyer Production manager Operations improvement Government agencies with responsibility for food standards, labelling laws or environmental health