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Sprouting this fall: A new minor in food systems

By Public Affairs

New this fall at UC Berkeley is a minor in food systems, which will explore the role of food within the environment and society.

Kathryn De Master, Alistair Iles

Kathryn De Master, Alistair Iles

“The study of food systems is a relatively new field,” Kathryn De Master, assistant professor of agriculture, society and environment, told KQED blogger Alix Wall. De Master and Alastair Iles, associate professor of environmental science, policy and management, are the minor’s faculty advisors.

Berkeley joins another 40 or so campuses around the country that have added majors or minors in food systems, she said.

The Department of Environmental Science, Policy and Management, part of the College of Natural Resources, will be the minor’s home. But De Master said many other departments are contributing to it. Classes offered by some 70 to 80 faculty members, including many who are part of the Berkeley Food Institute, fit into the minor, she said.

Read more on KQED’s Bay Area Bites blog.