The Snack Food Association, in conjunction with The Ohio State University and St. Joseph’s University, now is offering online courses in food science and food marketing for SFA member company associates.

Developed with the two universities to provide SFA member company personnel easy access to continuing education at a reduced tuition cost, the program offers courses in key disciplines that have been requested by SFA members.

“We are delighted to be able to bring this new, important benefit to our member companies,” says SFA president and CEO Jim McCarthy. “This new online training is an SFA priority, and I hope all of our member companies will take advantage.”

Employees of SFA member companies now may register for the SJU Food Marketing courses on the SFA’s Web site, www.sfa.org, by clicking on the “SFA Knowledge Center” link.

“Online education is a demand being placed on food marketing at St. Joseph’s University to meet the needs of industry executives,” says Robert R. Higgins, executive director of the Center for Food Marketing at SJU. “The online offerings being made available to SFA members provide a convenient and effective way for individuals to build their capabilities to function more effectively in his ever-changing food industry.”

These courses are part of a new four-course series designed to provide food science training and information to professionals in the food industry. They are entirely online and have nine weekly units, live chats and podcasts.

Participants will earn five Continuing Education Units (CEUs) for completing each course, and those who complete all four courses will earn a Certificate of Proficiency in Food Science from the Food Science Technology Department at OSU.

“This four-course series gives people a solid foundation in the terminology and processes related to the modern processing of foods,” says Jeff Culbertson, professor of food science and technology at OSU. “Many people who come into the industry have degrees in other areas such as business, management, biology or engineering, but they don’t have the ability to speak the ‘language’ of food science. These courses give you a really solid foundation to understand and communicate with people who are using very technical food science terminology and concepts. This is a critical need. It’s critical to their job success and ability to advance in their careers.”

The general course fee is $500, but SFA members receive a 10% discount on each course. The registration form for Introduction to Food Science is available via the SFA Web site’s Knowledge Center link. It should be completed and faxed to SFA’s Christopher Melchert at 1-703-836-8262, ext.211 for processing.

The SFA accepts credit cards and company checks. Upon receipt of your registration, the SFA will forward your registration form to OSU, which will create an account for you and officially enroll you into the course and send you course information.