The Nutrition and Food Service Management program at Centennial College is the longest established two-year program of its kind in the Greater Toronto Area.

This health diploma program has been the recipient of numerous awards for its approach to preparing students to pursue challenging careers as managers in the dynamic and growing health care and food service industry. Nutrition and Food Service Management has received the Centennial College President's Academic Program Recognition awards for Job Market Preparation, Student Satisfaction, Graduate Satisfaction, Employer Satisfaction and Quality of the Learning Experience.

In this School of Community and Health Studies program, you'll learn to combine food service administration and health care to interpret and apply nutritional care principles to promote health and effectively manage a food service department. Major topic areas will include:

• Healthy Nutrition Counselling
• Food service Operations
• Safety and sanitation
• Accounting Principles
• Human resource management
• Financial management
• Menu planning
• Large quantity cooking
• Menu design applications
• Medical nutrition therapy

The Canadian Society of Nutrition Management (CSNM) accredits the Nutrition and Food Service Management program. When you graduate, you'll be eligible for membership in the CSNM . CSNM membership is a requirement of Ontario's Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care to work as a food service manager in long-term care facilities and many acute care facilities. As such, you'll be fully prepared with specialized knowledge and eligible to work in health care.

The Canadian Society of Nutrition Management (CSNM) accreditation body has awarded Centennial College's  Nutrition and Food Service Management program the highest accreditation status for a five-year term (October 16, 2020, to September 15, 2025).

As an impact of Canada's aging population, there is a vast interest in proper nutrition and health to meet the demands of the health care industry.

Program Highlights

• Using the School of Community and Health Studies and the School Hospitality, Tourism and Culinary Arts' resources, you'll learn the practical aspects of large quantity food preparation and conduct experiments to learn the physical properties of food.
• The program is made up of four semesters (fall and winter intakes).
• The final six weeks of the program will consist of an  approved  field placement which will be organized by the college. Field placement will be a supervised  practicum in healthcare.
• Faculty members are typically members of the CSNM or the College of Dietitians of Ontario. They have experience in food manufacturing, the retail industry, food service management, clinical nutrition, and consulting in acute and long-term care.

When you graduate from Nutrition and Food Service Management, you'll have the ability to:

• Plan menus to accommodate the nutritional, dietary and medical needs, cultural and religious requirements, and personal preferences of clients;
• Supervise and evaluate the handling, preparation and service of food to ensure compliance with relevant legislation, organization policies, and procedures and industry best practices for health, safety, sanitation, quality assurance and client satisfaction;
• Provide for the nutritional needs of diverse clients in health care settings in collaboration with or under the direction of members of the interprofessional health care team;
• Comply with and support others to work in accordance with industry, organization and legal standards for professional and ethical conduct;
• Apply relevant local, national and global trends, emerging technologies, and changes to legislation to enhance work performance and support management decisions;
• Deliver customer service that anticipates, meets or exceeds individual expectations and is consistent with organization standards and objectives;
• Participate in the hiring, coaching, training, scheduling, supervision and performance evaluation of department staff in accordance with human resources, labour relations, workplace health and safety, and industry best practices;
• Participate in the management of inventory and the procurement of goods and services according to industry best practices, financial constraints, and principles of social responsibility and environmental sustainability;
• Contribute to the analysis of food and nutrition processes, systems and operations, and the implementation and evaluation of changes to support continuous improvement;
• Contribute to the planning and administration of budgets consistent with organization objectives and legal requirements for food and nutrition services departments;
• Appropriately select and use information and industry-specific technologies to enhance individual work performance and the management delivery of food and nutrition services;
• Participate in promoting food and nutrition services and healthy living to support marketing plans and the general well-being of individuals;
• Develop global citizenship and equity knowledge, skills and experiences as they relate to sustainability of resources, individual and community identities, critical social analysis, and enhanced personal and social responsibility;
• Support action for change that promotes social, economic and ecological equity at personal and global levels;
• Participate in interprofessional collaboration.

Global Citizenship, Education and Inclusion Portfolio

You'll develop an e-portfolio documenting your engagement with the College's signature Global Citizenship and Equity competencies. For more information on Global Citizenship, Education and Inclusion, the GCEI portfolio and the available supports, please visit //www.centennialcollege.ca/about-centennial/college-overview/signature-learning-experience.

Companies Offering Jobs

Organizations that have hired Nutrition and Food Service Management program graduates include: Aramark, Compass, Complete Purchasing, Extendicare, Humber River, Kensington Gardens, Sienna Senior Living, Mt. Sinai Hospital, Marquise Hospitality (Division of Compass), Providence Healthcare Centre, Scarborough Health Network,  Shepherd Village, Sodexho, St. Michael's Hospital,  Michael Garron Hospital, University Health Network, Revera and MacKenzie Health

Career Outlook

• Food and Nutrition Manager/Dietary Manager
• Food Service Supervisor
• Diet Technician
• Quality Risk Management Coordinator
• Patient Service Supervisor
• Meal Program Coordinator
• Director of Food Services
• Retail Food Service Supervisor
• Catering Manager

Education Pathways

Qualified Nutrition and Food Service Management graduates may be eligible to participate in pathway programs with partnering institutions. These pathway programs allow you to receive degree credit for learning obtained at Centennial College