Food Science and Nutrition – Level 3 Diploma

Food and drink is the largest manufacturing sector in the UK. Many employment opportunities within this field are available including Sports Science, Food Technology, Food Marketing, Dietetics and Environmental Health to name a few. You need to enjoy making as well as the science behind food and nutrition.

What will you study and learn?

The qualification allows students to gain a wealth of knowledge about the food and nutrition industry. Students will have an opportunity to learn about the relationship between the human body and food as well as practical skills for cookery and preparing food.

Course content and examinations

The examination board is WJEC. This qualification is a standalone qualification that is equivalent to 1 A-level.

Unit 1: Meeting the Nutritional Needs of Specific Groups (mandatory)

This is assessed with an examination and a Controlled Assessment in Year 12.

The unit will enable students to demonstrate an understanding of the science of food safety, nutrition and nutritional needs in a wide range of contexts, and through on-going practical work to gain high level making skills to produce quality food items to meet the needs of individuals. The purpose of this unit is for students to develop an understanding of the nutritional needs of specific target groups and plan and cook complex dishes to meet these needs.

Unit 2: Ensuring Food is Safe to Eat (mandatory)

This is the Controlled Assessment in Year

This unit allows the student to develop their understanding of the science of food safety and hygiene; essential knowledge for anyone involved in food production or wishing to work in the food industry. Practical sessions support the gaining of theoretical knowledge. There will be a development in the understanding of hazards and risks in relation to the storage, preparation and cooking of food in different environments, and the control measures needed to minimise these risks. From this understanding, students will be able to recommend the control measures that need to be in place, in different environments, to ensure food safety. Students then choose either Unit 3 or Unit 4, both of which are Controlled Assessment. There is no examination at the end of Year 13.

Unit 3: Experimenting to Solve Food Production

The aim of this unit is for students to use their understanding of the properties of food in order to plan and carry out experiments. The results of the experiments would be used to propose options to solve food production problems.

Unit 4: Current Issues in Food Science and Nutrition

Through this unit, students develop the skills needed to plan, carry out and present a research project on current issues linked to issues related to food science and nutrition. This could be from the perspective of a consumer, food manufacturer, caterer and/or policy- making perspective.