Out of many etho-echological factors, ‘nutrition’ of the people is established to influence the quality of life positivly or negatively. Viewing malnutrition as a consequence and cause of under development, scientists contend that proper nutrition through adequate availability and intake of food is essential for every human being to make subsequent contribution to the national economy. Making a mass aware about the salient features of Food and Nutrition that are of prime importance for a developing nation like ours and learning about nutrition should receive priority in any formal or informal education policy. The department of Food and Nutrition in college of Home Science aimes to produce professioal graduates with good knoledge in this area to help out the needy to establish good food habits permissible socio-cultural frameworks.

Teaching

          The undergraduate courses in Food and Nutrition were offered from 1973 since the inception of the college. The course curriculum offered in the under graduate level envisages to accomplish one to go for higher studies, take an enterpreneural venture or to be absorbed in jobs.

The major objectives of undergraduate programme are -

• To impart knowledge of different nutrients present in foods and their importance in relation to the body.

• To develop understanding regarding importance of diets in different diseases and their application with a view to develop ability to become a dietitian.

• To impart pactical knowledge regarding overall nutrition of a community - its evaluation and effective solution through nutrition education programme.

• To equip students in establishing income generating enterprises in the areas of food processing and preservation, baking technology and food service institution management.

Over and above these, the Department offers post graduate teachings in the masters and doctoral levels to provide excellency in the subject matter. Masters programme was started in 1988 and Ph.D. programme was offered from 1999. Post graduate masters teaching has almost all the cources of U.G. programme with an advenced outlook while doctoral teaching aims to generate an understanding of the global situation in food and nutrition related problems andcoping strategies to help the State in planning and execution of intervention policies in broader and specific sense.

Research

Research is one of the three major areas of activities of the department.

Themajor thrust areas of research are -

• Public health nutrition

• Food science

• Food and nutrition

• Micronutrients - status, deficiency and bioavailability

• Community nutrition

Research work in the Department is either through funded research projects or through P.G. research. The department had successfully completed two research projects sponsored by Food and Nutrition Board, Govt. of India. Presently two more projects funded by ICAR are in progress - one ad-hoc project and the other is on the Food and Nutrition component of AICRP in Home Science.

Extension

Extension activities of the department always go hand in hand with teaching and research. Extension oriented activities of department are planned towards improving the general quality of life of the mass population in relation to their health and nutrition. Keeping this in view, thedepartment has organized several workshops/training sessions for various segments of the population in the last decade. A few of them are -

• Shrot training on "dietetics" for diet sisters from Jorhat hospitals.

• Household technologies for weaning mixes.

• Orientation training course for "Nutrition Promotion".

• Home scale preservation offruits and vegetables.

• Home made breads and buns.

• Workshop on breast feeding management.

• Workshop on Micronutrients and compliances.

• Wheat popularization project - aiming to popularize wheat in rice dominated areas due to its superior nutritional quality.

Overand above these the department organizes various activities every year and celebrate the World Food Day on 16th October and the National Nutrition Week by which it aims to promote nutrition awareness among the general population of the locality.

In addition, several leaflets have been propared by the department on several important nutrition related aspects in order to disseminate nutrition knowledge among the community.

Area of study

• Human nutrition

• Food science

• Diet therapy

• Food processing & preservation

• Bakery & confectionery

• Community nutrition

• Food analysis

• Clinical nutrition