The Department of Food and Nutritional Sciences was established in 2026 with the merger of the Department of Food Science and the Department of Nutritional Sciences within the UW–Madison’s College of Agricultural and Life Sciences (CALS). While the newly combined department may be young in years, there is a long and rich history behind it.
1890 – The Department of Dairy Husbandry is established. This department will become the Department of Food Science down the line.
1890 – UW agricultural chemist Stephen Babcock develops the butterfat test, and the first dairy foods short course offered. This early work paves the way for more dairy product research and a future food science program at UW–Madison.
1907 – Babcock starts the single-grain experiment, which will lead to the development of modern nutritional sciences.
1951 – The Department of Foods and Nutrition is started in the UW–Madison’s School of Home Economics. Components of this department will be incorporated into the Department of Nutritional Sciences in CALS down the line.
1951 – The construction of Babcock Hall is completed, and Babcock Dairy starts operating. The Department of Dairy Husbandry is renamed as the Department of Dairy and Food Industries, and Babcock Hall serves as department’s home.
1968 – The Department of Nutritional Sciences is formed in CALS. It was established when university administrators determined a need for a more specific focus on human nutrition, in particular the need for biological research to support the development of clinical and applied research.
Late 1960s – The Department of Dairy and Food Industries is renamed as the Department of Food Science.
1978 – The Center of Research in Clinical Nutrition was established by the School of Medicine and CALS with support from the Graduate School. Since its inception, the Department of Nutritional Sciences has had close affiliation with the School of Medicine.
1982 – The Department of Nutritional Sciences moves into the building located at 1415 Linden Drive, which serves as the department’s home. The building was previously used as a children’s hospital. The building was renovated in 2001.
1986 – The Center for Dairy Research (CDR) is established in CALS, with its home in Babcock Hall. From the start, the Department of Food Science and CDR form a strong partnership to support the needs of the dairy processing industry.
2018 – A major construction project launches to improve Babcock Hall, which includes the renovation of the Babcock Dairy Plant and a three-story addition for CDR. The project is completed in 2023.
2026 – The Department of Food and Nutritional Sciences is formed with the merger of the Department of Food Science and the Department of Nutritional Sciences.