Introduction to the Faculty of Food Science and Engineering

The Food Engineering program was established in 1984, enrolling its first undergraduate students in 1985. In 1986, it was designated as a key provincial discipline by the Yunnan Provincial Government. It was officially awarded the title of "Yunnan Provincial Key Discipline" in 2001. In 2005, the program obtained approval to offer a master's degree in "Food Science." By 2008, it began enrolling undergraduates in two specializations: "Food Science and Engineering" and "Food Quality and Safety." In 2010, it gained approval for a professional master's degree in "Light Industry Technology and Engineering." In 2013, in collaboration with the Yunnan Provincial Food Safety Committee, the university established the "Yunnan Food Safety Research Institute." The following year, in 2014, the undergraduate program in "Food Quality and Safety" was officially approved and began enrollment. In 2017, the program achieved approval for a first-level discipline master's degree in "Food Science and Engineering." In 2018, the Yunnan Food Safety Research Institute merged with the College of Modern Agricultural Engineering to form the "College of Agriculture and Food." In 2019, the "Food Science and Engineering" program was selected as a provincial first-class program in Yunnan. In 2020, the program was recognized as a national first-class undergraduate program and received accreditation through the engineering education professional certification. That same year, it also gained approval for a professional master's degree in "Biological and Pharmaceutical Engineering." In 2021, the Faculty of Food Science and Engineering was officially established. That year, Kunming University of Technology, together with Jiangnan University and the Yunnan Provincial Department of Science and Technology, jointly established the "Yunnan Green Food Research Institute" within the college. In 2024, the college participated in the approval of a professional doctoral degree program in "Biological and Pharmaceutical Engineering."

Currently, the college consists of the Department of Food Science and Engineering and the Department of Food Safety, offering two undergraduate programs: Food Science and Engineering and Food Quality and Safety. Among these, "Food Science and Engineering" has been selected as a national first-class undergraduate program, while "Food Quality and Safety" is recognized as a provincial first-class undergraduate program in Yunnan. The college offers a first-level master's degree program in Food Science and Engineering, which includes four second-level disciplines: "Food Science," "Agricultural Product Processing and Storage Engineering," "Food Nutrition," and "Food Safety." Additionally, it offers professional master's and doctoral degree programs in the field of "Biological and Pharmaceutical Engineering."

The faculty hosts 8 provincial research platforms, such as the Yunnan Institute of Green Food, the Yunnan Key Laboratory of Plateau Food Advanced Manufacturing, the Yunnan Branch of the National Engineering Research Center for Fruit and Vegetable Processing, the Yunnan Engineering Research Center for Healthy Characteristic Fruit and Vegetable Products, the Yunnan Public Science and Technology Service Platform for Plateau Characteristic Fruit and Vegetable Processing, the Yunnan Provincial University Engineering Research Center for Plateau Characteristic Fruit and Vegetable Processing, and the International Joint Laboratory for Green Food Processing. Additionally, the faculty operates 3 municipal-level platforms, featuring the Kunming Key Laboratory of High-Value Food Processing and Safety Evaluation, the Kunming International Science and Technology Cooperation Base, and the International Green Food Processing Research and Development Center of Kunming City. The institution’s research vitality is further bolstered by 3 provincial-level innovation teams and 2 provincial Graduate Supervisor Teams.

Currently, the faculty has a total of 50 staff members, including 46 full-time teachers. The academic faculty comprises 13 Ph.D supervisors, 46 master’s supervisors, 13 professors, and 10 associate professors. The team features a high concentration of distinguished talent, including 1 recipient of the Young Elite Scientist Sponsorship Program by China Association for Science and Technology, 1 "Strong Country" Youth Scientist, 2 Yunnan Provincial Academic and Technical Leaders, 31 awardees of the Yunnan "Xingdian Talent Support Program," and 1 recipient of the Yunnan Provincial Outstanding Youth Science Fund. Furthermore, the faculty includes 5 Yunnan Provincial Outstanding Graduate Supervisors, 1 Yunnan "Star of Innovation and Entrepreneurship," 1 "Most Beautiful Science and Technology Worker of Yunling," 5 Science and Technology Vice-Presidents, and 4 experts of Yunnan Provincial Grassroots Expert Workstations. Through these resources, the faculty has established a high-caliber team with exceptional teaching and research capabilities to meet the diverse needs of multi-level talent cultivation.

Over the past five years, the college has received six provincial and ministerial-level science and technology awards. It has undertaken over 190 research projects at various levels, with total funding exceeding 90 million yuan. Among these are more than 30 national-level projects, including those funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China and sub-projects of the National Key Research and Development Program, as well as over 120 provincial and ministerial-level research projects. The faculty and researchers have published over 500 academic papers and five textbooks and monographs. More than 80 invention patents have been granted, with the majority of research outcomes successfully commercialized. In addition, the college has won one Yunnan Provincial Teaching Achievement Award, two Yunnan Provincial Outstanding Scientific and Technological Innovation Achievement Awards for Graduate Students, one Yunnan Provincial Outstanding Practical Achievement Award for Graduate Students, and has developed two Yunnan Provincial First-Class Courses, five Yunnan Provincial Excellent Graduate Courses, and five Yunnan Provincial Professional Degree Graduate Teaching Case Database Construction Projects.

The college is actively engaged in domestic and international academic exchanges and cooperation. It has established strong partnerships with several internationally renowned universities, including RMIT University (Australia), Rajamangala University of Technology (Thailand), King Mongkut's University of Technology Thonburi (Thailand), Jiangnan University, China Agricultural University, South China University of Technology, and Northeast Agricultural University.

The college has consistently upheld its fundamental mission of cultivating talent with moral integrity, advancing the "three-pronged comprehensive education" approach, and strengthening the integration of ideological and political education with professional training. It has also intensified scientific research efforts in response to the economic and social development needs of Yunnan Province, focusing on key scientific and technological challenges in the plateau food sector. Through the research and development of food resources and foundational theoretical studies, the college strives to build a new hub for the development of the specialty food industry and establish a center for scientific and technological innovation with a focus on South Asia and Southeast Asia.