Montclair State Launches Certificate in Sustainable Food Practices

The College of Education and Human Services at Montclair State University has launched a graduate certificate program in Sustainable Food Practices for the upcoming fall 2021 semester.

Designed for graduate students as well as industry professionals, the 12-credit, four-class program will help students develop an understanding of the relationships between food production practices, food waste and ethics to sustainable production. 

“This is a defining moment for New Jersey. Never before has there been a prescient need for saving the planet,” says professor of Nutrition and Food Studies and program coordinator Charles Feldman. “Now is the time to encourage the fundamental changes that are shaping our local food industry, which contributes to the overall quality of our environment. There is an urgent need for a cadre of leaders that will point us in the right direction, and this program is designed to equip them with the tools needed to create this positive change.”

Coursework in the program will include analyzing alternative food processing in contemporary and future production and consumption models, and prospective policies for the restaurant, meat, poultry, seafood, dairy and produce industries will be analyzed and developed. 

Students can also combine the certificate program with educational offerings from the Green Restaurant Association (GRA), a nonprofit organization that certifies food service businesses, vendors and producers in the restaurant industry for sustainable practices. 

The collaboration will offer Montclair State students a tailored industry certificate program to complement their coursework, enabling students to not only earn the Sustainable Food Practices certificate but also earn an optional Foodservice Sustainability Certificate from GRA. Students can also apply their coursework toward the University’s master’s program in Nutrition and Food Science. 

“I’m delighted to see how the Department of Nutrition and Food Studies is responding to the need for better prepared food industry professionals who are aware of the pressing sustainability issues in the field,” says Katrina Bulkley, acting dean of Montclair State’s College of Education and Human Services. “The Department’s expert faculty, and deep connections to local and state industry leaders, make this an exciting opportunity for anyone interested in sustainable food practices.” 

For more information about graduate certificate programs at Montclair State University, visit The Graduate School’s website.