Discover food supply chains from farm to fork

How does food reach our plates? How is the food industry changing? What threats are there to food supply chains? How can we build a sustainable food industry?

Get answers to these questions and more with this course that explores food and agriculture in the modern world. You will learn about the complexity of the global food supply chain, the vulnerability of the food industry to emerging threats and the solutions to stopping these threats early. You will also consider the issues surrounding production of food of animal origin.

What topics will you cover?

Threats to global food security of an environmental, biological or chemical nature
Food integrity
Water, soil and plant health
Animal health and welfare
Food safety and human health
Climate change related to food security

When would you like to start?

Start straight away and join a global classroom of learners. If the course hasn’t started yet you’ll see the future date listed below.

Available now

Learning on this course

On every step of the course you can meet other learners, share your ideas and join in with active discussions in the comments.

What will you achieve?

By the end of the course, you‘ll be able to...

Discuss the interconnected one health approach to food production from farm to fork
Illustrate knowledge and skills required to evaluate current and emerging risks to food safety and relate these to potential threats to human/animal health and global food security highlighting solutions to the issues
Demonstrate the ability to critically assess the range of emerging risks that may be introduced during food production and manufacture systems and determine their potential impact on food safety and consumer health
Demonstrate an in-depth understanding of the range and types of food insecurity affecting food safety, traceability and authenticity, and the regulatory requirements and challenges to the maintenance of food quality/safety
Examine the ethical & bioethical constraints of the food chain: at the crossroads of objects, subjects, regulations, institutions & governments
Encourage pursuit of a career in research, industry or entrepreneurship related to the food industry sector by showcasing the rising star companies.

Who is the course for?

This course is for people looking for an introduction to food supply chains and the future of agriculture - it’s ideal for students and young people looking to learn more about careers in the food industry.

What do people say about this course?

I enjoyed the variety of resources in the course!

"I enjoyed the variety of resources in the course and now know where I can get further information. I've learned lots about the threats to food production."

Nicky

I have benefited a lot from the course

"This course greatly articulates the benefits of circularity in accelerating systemic change across environmental, social and economic systems in food production"

Nhlanhla

Who will you learn with?

Giovanna Ponti

At the Dept of Veterinary Sciences, I study how natural/pollutants estrogen-mimicking compounds in the feed may affect the brain development and decrease fertility, meat quality, and animal welfare

Francesco Chiesa

DVM, Assistant Professor at the Department of Veterinary Sciences of the University of Turin, Italy.
Research field: Food Safety

Flavia Girolami

I am vet, working as a researcher at the Dept. of Veterinary Sciences - University of Torino. My field is the study of contaminant and drug residues in food of animal origin.

Paola Badino

I'm Biologist and PhD in Pharmacology and Toxicology. I teach in the Department of Veterinary Science of Turin. My scientific interests deal with food safety related to drugs and contaminants.

Katrina Campbell

Dr Katrina Campbell is a Reader within the Institute for Global Food Security at Queen's University Belfast. Her research monitors food safety threats and effects from environment to farm to fork.

Michaela Fox

Michaela is a Lecturer in Education working on the development of EITFOOD education programmes. Her background is in food science and research at the Institute for Global Food Security.

Who developed the course?

EIT Food

EIT Food is Europe’s leading food initiative, working to make the food system more sustainable, healthy and trusted.

Queen's University Belfast

Queen’s University Belfast is a member of the Russell Group of 24 leading UK research-intensive universities.

University of Turin

The University of Turin is one of the largest and most prestigious Italian universities, with about 70,000 students, 4,000 employees, and 1,800 research fellows, encompassing all academic sectors.

European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT)

The European Institute of Innovation & Technology strengthens Europe’s ability to innovate by powering solutions to pressing global challenges and by nurturing entrepreneurial skills in Europe’s largest innovation ecosystem.

Endorsers and supporters

content provided by

Learning on FutureLearn

Your learning, your rules

Courses are split into weeks, activities, and steps to help you keep track of your learning
Learn through a mix of bite-sized videos, long- and short-form articles, audio, and practical activities
Stay motivated by using the Progress page to keep track of your step completion and assessment scores

Join a global classroom

Experience the power of social learning, and get inspired by an international network of learners
Share ideas with your peers and course educators on every step of the course
Join the conversation by reading, @ing, liking, bookmarking, and replying to comments from others

Map your progress

As you work through the course, use notifications and the Progress page to guide your learning
Whenever you’re ready, mark each step as complete, you’re in control
Complete 90% of course steps and all of the assessments to earn your certificate

Want to know more about learning on FutureLearn? Using FutureLearn