Nutrition and Food Service Management
How To Apply
Program Details
- Program Code1607
- SchoolSchool of Community and Health Studies
- CredentialOntario College Diploma
- Program TypeCompressed program
- Program Length2 years/ 4 semesters (16 months continuous)
- LocationMorningside Campus
- Emailhealthstudies@centennialcollege.ca
- Telephone416-289-5000, ext. 58068
- Technology Requirements
Program Availability
- Program Overview
- Courses
- Career Options and Education Pathways
- Admission Requirements
- How to Apply
- Tuition and Fees
- Technology Requirements
- Program Vocational Learning Outcomes
- Advising
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
- Culinary skills lab
- 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 CSNM . CSNM membership is a preferred 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 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.
Program Overview
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
- Culinary skills lab
- 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 CSNM . CSNM membership is a preferred 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 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.
Courses
Career Options and Education Pathways
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
Graduates of this Nutrition and Food Service Management diploma program have the opportunity to apply learning achieved at Centennial for credits toward further study at the degree level. Listed below are the degrees from partnering institutions available for this program.
Please note that each partner has minimum admission requirements to be met in order to qualify for transfer credits, which are assessed by the partner institution.
| Partner Institution | Degree |
|---|---|
| Algoma University | Bachelor or Honours Bachelor of Arts in multiple majors |
| Bachelor of Science in multiple majors | |
| Athatbasca University | Bachelor of Management post diploma (3-year) |
| Bachelor of Human Resources and Labour Relations post diploma | |
| Bachelor of Commerce post diploma with major | |
| Bachelor of Commerce post diploma no major | |
| Brescia University College | Bachelor or Science in Food and Nutrition - Honours Specialization in Nutrition and Dietetics |
| Humber College | Bachelor of Health Sciences - Workplace Health and Wellness |
| Lakehead University | Bachelor or Honours Bachelor degree in any major |
| Laurentian University | Bachelor or Honours Bachelor of Arts in multiple majors |
| Nipissing University | Bachelor or Honours Bachelor of Arts in multiple majors |
| Ontario Tech University | Honours Bachelor of Arts in Educational Studies |
| Honours Bachelor of Commerce (bridge) | |
| Ottawa, University of | Honours Bachelor of Commerce |
| Seneca Polytechnic | Honours Bachelor of Interdisciplinary Studies |
| Toronto Metropolitan University | Bachelor of Health Administration degree completion |
| Wilfrid Laurier University | Honours Bachelor of Arts in multiple majors |
| Windsor, University of | Honours Bachelor of Arts in Disability Studies for CAAT Graduates |
| York University | Bachelor or Honours Bachelor degree in any major |
| Bachelor of Health Studies (3-year) | |
| Honours Bachelor of Public Administration | |
| Bachelor or Honours Bachelor of Science in multiple majors |
Please visit our website at //centennial.adv-pub.moveonca.com/outgoing-home/ for more information on articulation agreements.
For pathways to other Ontario post-secondary institutions, please visit ONTransfer.
Areas of Employment
The primary focus of the Nutrition and Food Service Management program is to prepare you for career opportunities in health care. There is a continuous need for qualified food service managers in Ontario's long-term care facilities who have obtained CSNM membership, however, areas of employment may also include:
- Hospitals
- Long Term Care facilities
- Seniors' residences
- Chronic care facilities
- High-volume catering services
- Retail cafeterias
- Airline food services
- Food manufacturers
- Community agencies
- Business/dining
Admission Requirements
Academic Requirements
- Ontario Secondary School Diploma (OSSD), or equivalent, or mature student status (19 years or older)
- Grade 12 English (C or U), or equivalent (minimum grade required), or take the Centennial English Admission Test.
- Grade 11 Mathematics (M or U) or Grade 12 (C or U), or equivalent (minimum grade required), or take a Centennial College Math Skills Assessment for Admission
Additional Requirements
Field Placement Requirements
After admission, but prior to attending each Field Placement, students are required to have:
- Obtain a clear police check with vulnerable sector screening. Vulnerable Sector Screenings must be issued within six months of each placement start date. Any previous criminal record must be pardoned.
- Successful completion and annual renewal of a recognized course in CPR (Health Care Provider level)
- Successful completion of a recognized course in standard first aid
- Mask fit testing will be provided by Centennial College (shaving of portion of face may be required to meet safety standards)
- Completion of pre-clearance health form by a physician or nurse practitioner stating that they meet the health requirements of legislated acts, ministry guidelines and agency policies
All of the above requirements must be in effect for the duration of each placement.
How to Apply
1. Apply Online
Domestic Students
If you are applying through the Better Jobs Ontario Program, please apply at the Employment Training Centre (Progress Campus). The Better Jobs Ontario Program is a funding initiative for those who have been laid-off and are in need of training. For more information go to Better Jobs Ontario Program.
If you have previously attended a full-time program at Centennial College, you may be eligible for a Program Transfer. Visit Enrolment Services at any Campus for information.
All other applicants must apply online at Ontariocolleges.ca. A non-refundable application fee of $125 must accompany applications. The fee is payable online, by telephone, online banking, by mail, or in-person to Ontariocolleges.ca. For more information go to Ontariocolleges.ca Application Fees.
International Students
Apply directly to Centennial College here.
2. Submit Documents
Domestic Applicants
Current Ontario high school students and graduates from Ontario high schools: Notify your guidance counsellor that you have applied to college and your school will forward transcripts to Centennial College via Ontariocolleges.ca.
Graduates of college/university, or high school outside Ontario but within Canada: You are responsible for requesting that your educational institute sends any required documents and transcripts to Ontariocolleges.ca.
Domestic applicants who attended school outside of Canada: If you are submitting transcripts to meet admission requirements, you must have the transcripts assessed by an independent credential assessment agency such as World Education Services (WES) or International Credential Assessment Service (ICAS). For more information go to Submitting your Transcripts.
International Applicants
Please refer to the International Education Application Guide.
3. Confirm Your Offer of Admission
Offers of Admission are sent by mail to eligible applicants. When you receive your offer, you must login to your account at Ontariocolleges.ca and confirm before the Deadline to Confirm noted in your offer letter.
You may confirm only one college and one program offer at a time.
You must confirm your offer by the Deadline to Confirm noted in your Offer of Admission letter or your seat may be given to another applicant.
When you confirm your Offer of Admission at Centennial College you are given access to your personal myCentennial account where you can check your email, grades, register for courses, pay tuition fees, and see your class timetable.
4. Pay Fees
Centennial fees statements are sent by email to your personal email account and to your myCentennial email account. Fees statements are not mailed.
You must make a minimum payment by the Fees Deadline noted in your Fees Statement or your seat may be given to another applicant.
5. Build Your Timetable (Register for Courses)
Build your timetable (web-register for courses) at my.centennialcollege.ca.
Fall registration begins mid-July
January registration begins mid-December
May registration begins mid-April
Your web-registration will not open if:
You have not submitted your minimum fee payment by the deadline
You received a Conditional Offer of Admission and you have not met the conditions of your offer.
Once you have paid your fees or have made appropriate arrangements, register for your courses online through myCentennial.
Tuition and Fees
Fees noted below are estimates only. Tuition is based on two semesters, beginning Fall 2024.
| Student | Tuition (2 Semesters) | Ancillary Fees | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Canadian | $2,721.00 | $1,302.44 | $4,023.44 |
| International | $16,649.00 | $1,790.62 | $18,439.62 |
Technology Requirements
Technology Requirements
This program is part of the BringIT initiative, which means students taking it will need to be able to consistently access and use a mobile computing device that meets or exceeds the program’s recommended hardware requirements.
Students with Accessibility Needs: If you require accommodations for a documented disability , please consider your adaptive technology needs when you select a device for your program. If you want to access disability services, you can make an appointment with the Centre for Accessible Learning and Counselling Services, by calling 416-289-5000 ext. 3850, or by email at calcs@centennialcollege.ca
Want to know more? Check out Frequently Asked Questions for our BringIT Program.
Students from this program will need to have consistent access to the following:
Minimum Recommended Specifications:
- Windows Laptop or Surface device with with:
- Intel Core i5 or AMD equivalent processor
- 8GB or more of RAM
- 256GB HD
- USB port;
- Windows 10 operating system
- Recommended:
- Built-in Ethernet port
- Audio/mic combo
- A solid-state drive (SSD)
- A laptop with a battery life of 3 hours or better
Minimum Internet Requirement:
You will need regular access to a computer with an internet connection. High-speed broadband access (LAN, Cable or DSL) with minimum 50mbps download speed is highly recommended.
ClassAPPs 2.0
Students are invited to use Centennial College’s ClassAPPs 2.0, an all-in-one system that lets you use all of the digital tools you need to complete your college courses from the comfort of your own home, at any time, instead of finding the time to head for a computer lab. Any student can use the ClassAPPs 2.0 system with any modern, HTML5 enabled web browser, like Chrome, Edge or Firefox. Just log in to the service with the same ID and password you use to get into a College PC, and you instantly gain access to cloud-based software, and other learning resources.
Program Vocational Learning Outcomes
Program Vocational Learning Outcomes
Program Vocational Learning Outcomes describe what graduates of the program have demonstrated they can do with the knowledge and skills they have achieved during their studies. The outcomes are closely tied to the needs of the workplace. Through assessment (e.g., assignments and tests), students verify their ability to reliably perform these outcomes before graduating.
- Plan menus to accommodate the nutritional, dietary and medical needs, cultural and religious requirements, and personal preferences of clients.
- Manage handling, preparation and service of food to ensure compliance with relevant legislation, policies, procedures, and industry best practices for health, safety, sanitation, quality assurance and client satisfaction.
- Manage nutritional needs of diverse clients in health care and other food service settings in collaboration with or under the direction of health care professionals.
- Support others to work professionally and ethically in accordance with industry, organization and legal standards.
- Monitor relevant local, national and global trends, emerging technologies, changes to legislation and best practices to enhance work performance and inform the management and delivery of food and nutrition services.
- Deliver customer service that anticipates, meets and/or exceeds individual expectations and is consistent with organization standards and objectives.
- Contribute to the hiring, coaching, training, scheduling, supervision and performance management of department staff in accordance with human resources, labour relations, workplace health and safety, and industry best practices.
- Apply industry best practices, financial constraints, and principles of social responsibility and environmental sustainability to inventory management and procurement of goods and services.
- Contribute to the analysis of food and nutrition services 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 nutrition and food service departments.
- Select and use information and industry-specific technologies to enhance individual work performance and the management and delivery of food and nutrition services.
- Promote food and nutrition services and healthy living to support marketing plans and the general well-being of clients.
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Nancy Au, Food and Nutrition Management GraduateThe Food and Nutrition Management program was pivotal in my success in the field. It equipped me with valuable knowledge and practical skills to succeed in a highly competitive industry.
Teachers are very informative and highly connected to the vast partners in the field — allowing for valuable insight, input and education that open doors to great career opportunities.
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