Cal Poly Pomona Food Science Program Gets Seal of Approval

Cal Poly Pomona’s food science and technology program has received a prestigious professional group’s official seal of approval.

The program was named one of the Institute of Food Technologists’ (IFT) approved undergraduate programs. The IFT’s Higher Education Review Board (HERB) determined that the Cal Poly Pomona program met its undergraduate education standards for degrees in food science.

Cal Poly Pomona becomes just the third university in California to earn the recognition, behind UC Davis and Cal Poly San Luis Obispo.

“We are thrilled to have earned this distinction,” said Professor Harmit Singh, chair of Cal Poly Pomona’s Department of Nutrition and Food Science. “It recognizes the hard work by our faculty and staff and the excellence of our students.”

The recognition entitles the food science and technology program to use IFT’s approval badge and publicize that the program has received IFT approval. The approval status is good through 2025.

IFT has established minimum standards for undergraduate food science curriculum since 1966. It created the HERB to assist educational institutions by assessing learning outcomes and to enhance excellence in food science education.

Today, the HERB rigorously reviews universities to see if their programs meet the IFT Undergraduate Education Standards for Degrees in Food Science.

The reviews include determining whether

facilities such as teaching labs are sufficient to conduct chemical, engineering, processing, sensory and microbiological exercises to meet those standards;
whether there are sufficient teaching faculty;
and whether the foundational courses reflect curricular content that IFT considers essential.

Food science and technology is just one of two majors offered in the Department of Nutrition and Food Science, the other being nutrition.

Last year, Cal Poly Pomona food science and technology students excelled in regional and national competitions. The students’ accomplishments included:

First place in the American Society of Baking annual product development competition held in Chicago in February;
Sweeping first, second, and third place at the Southern California Food Industry product development competition in Anaheim in March;
Third place in the National Evolution of Food Waste Competition in Louisville, Ky., in March;
Winning the Biological and Agricultural Sciences Undergraduate Award at the 33^rd California State University Student Research Competition in April;
Winning first place in the undergraduate research competition at the IFT19 annual conference.
Finishing in third place in the IFT19 Smart Snacks for Kids Competition.
Honorable Mention in the IFTSA & Mars Product Development Competition at IFT 19.