State of the Art Foods Laboratory
Nutrition and Dietetics students at ISU train in a newly renovated, state-of-the-art commercial foods laboratory on the Pocatello campus, gaining hands-on experience with professional-grade equipment that mirrors what they’ll use in hospital kitchens, research facilities, and food industry settings. This immersive environment prepares students for the technical demands of real-world nutrition and foodservice careers.
When the Foods Lab was first established in the 1970s, professional opportunities for dietitians were fairly narrow. Most RDNs worked in hospitals—supervising food service management operations and ensuring patient diets were compliant with required modifications. The scope of practice for registered dietitian nutritionists (RDNs) has mushroomed. This expanded professional scope magnifies the importance of the Food Lab renovation.
Today, you’ll find RDNs in a range of industries serving in a variety of roles:
- From the local news to the Food Network, media-savvy RDNs give food demos and share recipes from cookbooks they’ve authored.
- Dietitians working in the food industry leverage their expertise to optimize nutrition content and palatability of products.
- At PR firms, they help create consumer educational messages.
- RDNs are also key players in the up and coming field of culinary medicine, which combines the science of medicine with the art of cooking.
The Foods Lab is a place where students hone food demonstration and recipe development skills and interprofessional teams of health professions learn how to integrate culinary medicine principles into clinical practice.
The Foods Lab at ISU was designed with the student in mind. The space is mostly kitchens, however this state of the art laboratory has classroom integration with hybrid capabilities allowing students at our Meridian campus to be engaged, as well.
Interested in Using the Foods Lab?
- Preview the contract: Foods Lab Usage Policy Contract
- Submit a request: Foods Lab Usage Form
