Innovative Teaching in Food Product Development and Entrepreneurship for Student Success

The world faces multiple challenges, including climate change, that are expected to affect food production, food security, and nutrition, while intensifying competition between food and non-food agricultural products. According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, the global population is projected to reach approximately 9.7 billion by 2050, requiring food production to increase by an estimated 50–70% to meet rising demand. Food manufacturers are therefore required to respond to evolving consumer expectations while developing innovative products that enhance market competitiveness. At the same time, the higher education sector in South Africa is under increasing pressure to respond to stakeholder demands and to produce graduates who meet industry expectations. The Department of Food Science at Stellenbosch University consequently faces the challenge of delivering graduates of sufficient quantity and calibre to support South Africa’s large, complex, and evolving food industry. Trial Design and New Product Development, a final-year module in the fourth year of the BSc Food Science degree, is intentionally structured as a capstone, project-based module that assesses multiple learning outcomes while providing students with insight into the complete food product development process, from farm to fork. By addressing both local and global food challenges, the module develops students’ entrepreneurial mindsets and problem-solving skills, enabling them to generate innovative, market-ready solutions to real-world sustainability issues. The effectiveness of the module is underpinned by collaboration between academic and technical staff and food industry professionals. A central feature of the pedagogical approach is the creation of a safe, experimental learning environment that encourages risk-taking, reframes failure as a learning opportunity, and fosters resilience and critical thinking. Collectively, these elements aim to develop engaged and confident graduates who are better equipped for successful entry into the food industry.