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Program Availability
Hybrid (Theory | Lab | Placement)
Canada’s Food Plants Need Quality Technicians. Complete Your Diploma in 50 Weeks and Become One
Food processing plants can’t run without people who catch problems before they reach consumers.
Our Food Safety and Quality Technologist diploma prepares you for entry-level roles supporting food safety systems, lab functions, and quality monitoring across production environments.
- Gain hands-on lab experience through the program’s dedicated PMT and QAQC rooms
- Learn HACCP principles, sanitation verification, and simulated inspection procedures
- Apply your training in an 80-hour off-campus placement in a real production or quality setting
Join Oxford College! Practical Training Built for Entry-Level Readiness
This program is structured around the day-to-day tasks a quality team performs, including sampling, testing, documentation, and sanitation checks, rather than treating them as abstract theory.
You graduate ready to step directly into production or lab support work.
The Benefits of a Food Safety and Quality Technologist Diploma
Food manufacturers can’t afford to train someone from scratch on HACCP systems, sanitation protocols, and audit documentation while a production line is running.
A diploma in this field tells an employer you already know how these systems work and can start contributing to a quality or production team right away. Graduates step into roles supporting food safety, lab functions, or quality monitoring.
Master the Areas of Focus Behind Food Safety and Quality Work
- Food Sampling and Safe Handling Procedures
- Basic Food Testing Methods and Equipment Use
- Proximate Analysis Foundations
- Food Microbiology Awareness and Environmental Monitoring Concepts
- HACCP Principles and Preventative Controls
- Cleaning and Sanitation Expectations in Food Operations
- Food Law, Labelling, and Regulatory Compliance Basics
- Data Interpretation, Reporting, and Documentation
Be the Reason Behind Safe Products
Every sample you collect, every sanitation check you complete, every record you accurately keep, helps ensure that contaminated or unsafe products are off shelves.
Your attention to detail becomes part of the system that protects the people who eat what your facility produces. As an FSQT graduate, you’ll bring reliability, precision, and professionalism to the job.
Many Unique Benefits
Hands-on training in dedicated PMT and QAQC rooms for sampling, analysis, and sanitation practice
80-hour off-campus placement providing real workplace experience in food safety and quality environments
Curriculum built around Canadian frameworks, including the Safe Food for Canadians Act
Coursework spanning food science, microbiology, chemistry, and sanitation, not just one discipline
1000 hours combining theory, lab, and placement training
Hybrid delivery model designed for flexibility
Simulated inspection and audit-readiness exercises built into the coursework
Flexible Program Options
Looking to move into food manufacturing but need a flexible schedule?
Oxford College’s FSQT program is delivered through a hybrid model combining online coursework, in-person labs, and placement.
For more information about Oxford College’s flexible program options, inquire today!
Study Format and Delivery
The FSQT program combines online synchronous coursework, in-person lab sessions, and an 80-hour off-campus placement across 50 weeks.
Key learnings
On successful completion of the Food Safety and Quality Technologist program, you will be equipped to support food safety systems, conduct basic testing, and maintain quality documentation.
- Hazard Analysis and Preventative Controls
- Food Microbiology
- Cleaning and Sanitation
- Principles of Food Safety and Quality Assurance
- Food Chemistry
- Food Safety Engineering
Real-world experience: professional placement
As an FSQT student, you’ll apply your training in an 80-hour off-campus placement, working under supervision in a food production or quality environment.
Depending on the site, you may assist with monitoring, documentation, basic testing support, and routine quality activities, building the professional communication skills needed to work within a quality team.
Countless Career Opportunities
Upon course completion and graduation, you can work in any of the following settings:
- Food and Beverage Manufacturing Plants
- Meat and Poultry Processing Facilities
- Dairy Processors and Milk Testing Operations
- Bakeries, Flour Mills, and Grain Product Manufacturers
- Fruit and Vegetable Processing Plants
- Breweries and Beverage Bottling Facilities
- Fish and Seafood Processing Plants
- Food Packaging and Labelling Operations
- Third-Party Food Testing Laboratories
Food Safety and Quality Technologist Professional Salary
$45,000–$70,000
Annual Salary Range
85–95%
Graduate Employment Rate*
- Graduates hired by food manufacturers, processing plants, and third-party testing laboratories
- Training in HACCP Systems, Sanitation Verification & Quality Documentation
- Advance into Quality Assurance or Food Safety Coordination roles over time
Program details
Are you interested in working in food production environments where safety, consistency, and regulatory compliance are essential?
The Food Safety and Quality Technologist diploma prepares you to properly sample and handle food, conduct routine testing, support quality control processes, and follow structured food safety systems such as HACCP.
You’ll build practical knowledge in food science, microbiology, sanitation, food chemistry, and Canadian food regulations, along with the documentation, reporting, and data interpretation skills needed to support audits, inspections, and internal quality reviews.
Hands-on training takes place in the program’s PMT and QAQC rooms, covering food sampling, basic analysis, sanitation verification, and simulated inspection procedures.
Course Listings: Food Safety and Quality Technologist
- Essential Skills II — 60 Hours
- Canadian Food Safety Law and Regulation — 120 Hours
- Principles of Food Science — 160 Hours
- Food Chemistry — 80 Hours
- Hazard Analysis and Preventative Controls — 60 Hours
- Food Microbiology — 80 Hours
- Principles of Food Safety and Quality Assurance — 160 Hours
- Cleaning and Sanitation — 80 Hours
- Food Safety Engineering — 120 Hours
- Placement — 80 Hours
Admission Requirements
- Ontario Secondary School Diploma (OSSD) or equivalent; or
- Mature Student Status (19 years of age or older) with successful completion of the Wonderlic SLE-Q entrance assessment with a minimum score of 17
Additional Requirements: a completed immunisation record and a clear Criminal Record Check with Vulnerable Sector Screening (CPIC with VSS).
Why Choose Oxford College?
Career-Focused Education
All of the diploma programs are designed for long-term careers in high-growth industries, offering you a superior fast-track education.
Expert Instructors
Our faculty consists of experienced and well-trained staff who will give you industry-relevant knowledge along with your career training.
Modern Facilities
The state-of-the-art classrooms and labs are compliant with industry standards and allow for an emphasis on practical training.
Easy Campus Access
All our six campuses are located along transit hubs, making travel easy and conveniences accessible.
Flexible Start Dates
Flexible program start dates allow you to plan and begin your new career training at any time.
Financial Aid
Financial Aid may be available to those who qualify. We have dedicated staff who can assist you with the Financial Aid process.
Testimonials
“ Joining Oxford College was one of the greatest decisions I have made and I feel so fortunate to be one of your students. I’m really enjoying your virtual classes, you are an amazing and inspiring mentor. The style and method of your teaching tells me that I’m on the right track towards my potential career. “
-Abdelgadir Gadam, Oxford College Graduate