Where you want to intern abroad is likely dependent on what exactly you want to learn about food science and nutrition. While well developed countries have established food industry practices and nutritional standards, developing countries can provide hands on experience in the areas of poverty and malnutrition specifically. Let your taste buds do the exploring and choose a location that seems most appealing, delicious, and curious to you! But, here is a list of some top picks.

Food science internships in Uganda, known as the breadbasket of Eastern Africa, offer interns the chance to address the “bread box paradox.” This paradox is that there is ample food in the country, however, the majority of households report lacking food and 45 percent of children under the age of five suffer from severe malnutrition. By interning abroad in Uganda, you can work to combat food security issues as well as develop nutritional understanding through education and counseling. Additionally, interns may be able to get engaged with local communities by participating in agricultural workshops, which may allow interns to explore methods of growing a diversity of foods closer to people’s homes or general agricultural techniques.

Choosing to intern abroad in Cameroon gives interns the chance to examine the relationship between food and diabetes specifically, since this disease is a growing concern in Cameroon and basic knowledge of nutrition could help locals drastically. Interns work to raise awareness and education on the topic of increasing health through diet and decreasing risk of diabetes. Some interns may even be asked to prepare healthy delicious meals as well.

Panama offers a wide range of nutrition and food science internship opportunities. Internships may cover permaculture, aquaculture, growing and researching new species, pest control, and organic and sustainable farming, among others. A popular practice in Panama is farm-to-table culinary arts, so many food science internships in Panama are focused on introducing interns to the dynamics of agricultural production and food preparation.

In Iceland, organic food production practices are quite popular, and growing in popularity at a rather fast rate, which means there are a number of food science and nutritionist internships available in related areas. Some examples of internship placements are working in an organic bakery or greenhouse or studying practices in an eco-village. Food science internships in Iceland allow interns to see the behind-the-scenes work that is required for organic food production daily (such as care for plants and shop management). As this subfield of food science and nutrition continues to become increasingly important, work experience with businesses and organizations focused on organic food production can give interns a jumpstart in their career.