The Food Science and Engineering discipline in Zhejiang University is based on the Department of Food Science and Nutrition, and jointly participated by the professionals from disciplines of Biosystems Engineering, Agriculture and Biotechnology, Animal Science, and Medicine of the university. The Food Science and Engineering discipline is entitled to confer doctorial degrees covering all branches of the discipline, and offers doctorial degree programs in food science, agricultural products processing and storage, aquacultural products processing and storage, cereals / lipids / protein engineering, and food safety. The discipline is both Key Disciplines of the State Ministry of Agriculture and Zhejiang Province, and was enlisted in the national “211 project” and “985 Project” for key discipline construction aiming at building the nation’s top rank science disciplines. The Food Testing Station of Zhejiang Provincial Local Product Testing and Surveillance Center, and the Food, Nutrition and Safety Center of Asia-Pacific Society of Clinical Nutrition are also operated by the discipline. According to the National Appraisal of Disciplines conducted by the Ministry of Education in 2008, the Food Science discipline in Zhejiang University was ranked at 4^th of the 170 disciplines in the nation .

The Discipline of Food Science and Engineering in Zhejiang University has a strong academic stuff, including 16 professors (amongst them 12 Ph.D advisors). 65%of the stuff members have Ph.D degree and more than half of them have over-sea study and research experiences.

Scientific research covers the areas of food fermentation and biotechnology, food engineering, human nutrition and food safety, agricultural products processing and storage, aquacultural products processing and storage, and cereals / lipids / protein engineering. In the recent 5 years, there have been 9 projects from the national “973 Plan”, “863 Plan” and National key R&D Plan, 10 projects from the National Natural Science Foundation, and 13 R&D projects from the provincial government with fund of each exceeding ï¿¥1 million. There are also a substantial number of R&D projects from the industries and international research partners. The annual research fund exceeds ï¿¥20 million. The discipline publishes about 40 papers in SCI and EI journals, and about 150 papers in domestic journals every year. 23 patents have been registered and 11 scientific and technological awards from above ministerial or provincial authorities were received. A big batch of R&D results has been put into industrial application, which has since created some ï¿¥800 million taxes and profits for the industries.

About 60 undergraduates, 40 master students and 25 PhD students are enrolled in the discipline every year. The unique “3+1” model of undergraduate education program ( 3 years of courses study + 1 year of field practice and research training) offers a great opportunity for the development of capacity and talent for the students. Graduates were appreciated by different sectors of the society. The first time employment rates upon graduation for undergraduate and postgraduates are 100%. In 2008, the discipline received an award of the Nation’s 100 Outstanding PhD Dissertations.

The discipline maintains active academic exchanges with both domestic and international partners. It is establishing Duo-degree undergraduate programs with Berlin Institute of Technology and University of Queensland, and maintains a collaboration relationship for implementation of “985 Project” with UC-Davis. Besides, the discipline has academic ties with partners in many famous universities from European, America and Asian countries.