Department History
Become by Growing
Since its establishment in 1965, the Department of Nutrition & Food Science has grown and adapted over the decades to reflect changing times.
It was initially known as the Department of Foods and Nutrition and began with just 17 students and one full-time faculty member, Professor Ramiro Dutra. The department offered courses in nutrition, food technology, and food chemistry and experimented with new technology, such as the microwave oven.
During the 1970s, the department expanded, moving into the newly created Building 7. It added a home economics major, establishing a clothing lab for the program in Building 2. However, the home economics major was phased out during the 1990s as high schools stopped teaching it, and utility and appliance companies eliminated home economics jobs. The fashion and clothing elements of the home economics program would split off and become the Department of Apparel Merchandising and Management.
In 1987, the department received accreditation from the American Dietetic Association to offer a post-baccalaureate dietetic internship. An internship is one of the requirements to become a registered dietitian. Prior to accreditation, the department sent its graduates to internship programs at other universities. The program remains accredited by the Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics (ACEND).
The 1990s brought the creation of the food science and technology program, the first of its kind in Southern California, and developed by Professor Martin Sancho-Madriz. It differed from the original foods and nutrition program in that it prepared students to work in the food processing industry or related regulatory agencies, requiring a significantly different curriculum.
Today, the department boasts an enrollment of more than 500 students across its programs, which now also include a master’s degree in agriculture, with a subplan in nutrition and food science.
A USDA grant led to the creation of Estudiante de Dietetica, an elective program that prepares dietetic students to work with Spanish-speaking clientele in the health service sector.