The food safety curriculum will include subject matter that focuses on epidemiology, food toxicology, the legal aspects of the food industry, and more. Students will be able to narrow their food safety focus on disciplines like animal production, food science, microbiology, produce or public health.

"The new food safety degree is vitally important in the educational preparation and workforce development that will lead students into the agriculture food safety industry. What most don't realize is that most jobs involved in food safety require advanced and very specific science and math competencies that can only be gained through very specific coursework. Food safety is a relatively new concept and profession." says Tanya Hodges, regional academic coordinator for the University of Arizona in Yuma and La Paz counties in Arizona and Imperial County in California.

A distance learning program in food safety will be offered in Yuma, AZ. Yuma County is the third largest vegetable producer in the U.S. This program will target working professionals in the Yuma area who would like to begin or advance their food safety career.

Students will be able to enroll in the program for the fall 2018 semester. Applications for the food safety degree program are currently available directly via University of Arizona.

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