Food is a fundamental human need just like air to breathe and water to drink, but also it’s much more than that: it is one of the oldest and most important forms of human culture. While everyone eats, every country, region, and community has its own distinct style of cooking, and the sharing and intermingling of different cuisines has shaped the course of human history as well as our own personal experience of the world. And in today’s era of globalization, we have more opportunities to explore and appreciate the diversity of the world’s food cultures than ever before.

It is important to learn about food for reasons other than the pursuit of gustatory pleasure and cultural enrichment, of course. As food science and health informatics help us learn about the links between nutrition and health challenges like obesity, heart disease, and diabetes, doctors and dieticians have an increasing role to play in improving public health. The environmental impacts of our food systems are also becoming a source of greater concern, as we seek to feed a growing global population sustainably without destroying natural resources or accelerating climate change.

The production, transportation, and preparation of food is a huge global industry, with a wide range of career opportunities. Farmers and other agricultural companies are the backbone of many regional economies around the world, and these businesses harness the latest science and technology to improve yields, lower costs and resource consumption, and improve taste and nutritional value. Food also offers countless opportunities for entrepreneurship, whether you aspire to open a restaurant or develop new processes for growing organic food..

Given the growing interest in where our food comes from and how it impacts our health, becoming a nutritionist is an increasingly popular career in the world of food. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, dietitians and nutritionists earned a median annual salary of $61,270 in 2019, and these jobs are projected to grow much faster than average across the rest of the economy over the next decade.

Yes! Whether you’re interested in learning about food science and nutrition or the cultural aspects of food, Coursera offers a wide range of courses to meet your needs. You can learn from top-ranked universities from all over the world including Stanford University, Emory University, the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, and the University of Copenhagen - a truly global selection to ensure that your education is as rich and diverse as the foods you learn about.