Food Product DevelopmentCornell

Certificate Program

Food innovators often introduce new and exciting quality products to the food industry. While ensuring the quality is right and consistent, food innovators must also ensure their products are safe and that they meet all federal and state safety standards.

In this course, you will explore the different types of safety hazards that can exist in food products that can lead to human injury or illness. Using a hazard assessment tool, you will consider the full food production process and identify the potential physical, biological, and chemical hazards of a food product and how these potential hazards can best be prevented or controlled. Once you have determined the key quality attributes that should be defined for a food product, you will create an initial indication of the metrics for each. By the end of this course, you will be prepared to integrate both food safety and quality consideration into the decisions surrounding product formulation, processing method, packaging material, and product shelf life.

You are required to have completed the following course or have equivalent experience before taking this course:

• Market Research and Product Development

When envisioning the look and feel of your new food product packaging, it is important to consider not just the design but also the safety and quality needs associated with the food processing and packaging process.

In this course, you will explore the different methods and techniques of food processing and packaging to determine which are appropriate for different food products. You will consider the numerous factors that contribute to a processing and packaging decision such as access, capital, feasibility, shelf life, and market preferences. Leveraging these factors and more, you will be able to determine the appropriate methods for your food product or innovation and map out the specifications needed for your product prototype.

You are required to have completed the following courses or have equivalent experience before taking this course:

• Market Research and Product Development
• Food Safety and Quality

The U.S. food industry is highly regulated at the federal and state levels. During this course, you will explore regulations associated with food industry innovations, identify applicable regulations to specific food ventures, and pursue regulatory compliance. This course will provide you with the opportunity to work through the process of identifying which overseeing agencies and regulations are applicable to a specific food project of your choice or for one provided by the faculty. You will create a plan for accessing resources for assistance and discover how to obtain non-regulatory certifications such as organic, fair trade, kosher, and halal. Upon conclusion of this course, you will be prepared to locate and address the regulations applicable to your food business.

You are required to have completed the following courses or have equivalent experience before taking this course:

• Market Research and Product Development
• Food Safety and Quality
• Food Processing and Packaging

The ultimate goal for a food product innovator or entrepreneur is to finally get their product to consumers. In this course, you will explore the food product commercialization process of bringing a prototype to market.

This process has multiple steps, including development, production, and distribution. You will explore the components of an effective go-to-market strategy and how to determine pricing and product positioning. You will also discuss how suppliers can affect all elements of the go-to-market strategy. You will then consider how to scale up a process from test kitchen to commercial-level production. Through the course project, you will develop an initial go-to-market strategy for a product of your choice or for one of the provided sample products.

You are required to have completed the following courses or have equivalent experience before taking this course:

• Market Research and Product Development
• Food Safety and Quality
• Food Processing and Packaging
• Regulatory Agencies and Food Regulations