Applications open August 3 for the FMI Foundation’s Food Safety Auditing Scholarships, which help students explore careers in food safety auditing and connect with industry professionals.
By: Imogen Angel, Assistant, FMI Foundation, Food & Product Safety/Health & Well-being, FMI
Despite the essential role of food safety auditors in our food systems, the benefits of this career path often feel like one of the industry’s best-kept secrets. For the industry, connecting with food safety students considering a career in auditing is incredibly valuable. For these students, opportunities to connect with the industry are equally lucrative, and the FMI Foundation is uniquely positioned to steward these connections. That is why the FMI Foundation established the Food Safety Auditing Scholarships: to expose students to the opportunities auditing experience affords them and to help make the connections that will be crucial as they transition into their careers.
Since the program was established in 2013, the FMI Foundation is proud to have awarded scholarships to 170 students. A recent review of vocational paths chosen by past scholarship recipients showed that 82% have pursued a career in food safety auditing or related fields, including teaching and research. The Food Safety Auditing Scholarship has proven to be not only a valuable and sought-after opportunity for students, but incredibly successful in developing the pipeline from food safety student to food safety professional.
Our scholars have informed us that scholarship opportunities for students looking to pursue auditing can be difficult to find and limited compared to other fields. As part of the FMI Foundation’s mission to strengthen the food industry’s workforce, we are proud to help fill this gap.
As part of the scholarship package, recipients are invited to attend the SQF Unites annual food safety conference. “The SQF conference provides scholars in the food safety field the chance to learn from real-world industry experiences, stay informed on emerging knowledge and trends, and expand their professional network,” one scholar noted after attending the 2026 SQF Unites conference. “The SQF scholarship is among the highest financial awards available for scholarships in the food safety field.”
This program is especially rewarding because we get to hear first-hand accounts from the students themselves on the value this scholarship holds for them. We even get to share their success stories to prospective employers throughout the food industry.
Part of advocating for and supporting the food industry is uplifting its future workforce. If you know a student studying food safety or a related discipline, make sure to share the FMI Foundation’s Food Safety Auditing Scholarship opportunity with them. Applications are open Monday, August 3 through Friday, October 9, 2026, 11:59 pm EST.
Looking to underwrite this key work instead? Contact us at Foundation@fmi.org for more information on becoming a sponsor.
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