Nutrients are the nourishing substances in foods. Foods act as carriers of nutrients which are necessary for growth, development and maintain body functions properly. Nutrient imbalances cause growth impairments, deficiency and non-communicable diseases. In addition to that foods carry non nutrient bioactive substances and toxic compounds. Essentials of Food Science focus on major food groups and their nutrient composition. Furthermore, the influence of processing and food preparation on the composition of foods, nutrient and functional properties are considered.  The knowledge you will gain encourage you to take a close look at what you eat and how it affects your nutrition, health and wellness. The more you know about the foods, the better you can plan diets. This module gives information about major food groups, food processing, storage and preparation effects on compositions, bioactive components with additional benefits to ensure optimum health and disease management and toxic/antinutrient factors of foods.  Further food regulations, safety and labelling will be addressed.