Food Science Internship

The Tennessee Department of Agriculture, Division of Consumer and Industry Services (CIS) is seeking an intern for the summer of 2027, from May 17 through Aug. 13, 2027. The selected candidate will spend time with the Food & Dairy program area under CIS and gain hands-on experience with food safety and related state regulatory activities.

Location:

Ellington Agricultural Center

Porter Building

436 Hogan Road, Nashville, TN 37220

Major Duties

Food Manufacturing and Retail

• Become familiar with Tennessee's regulatory framework for retail food stores and food manufacturers.
• Assist the Food & Dairy team with reviewing applications, including facilitating review meetings.
• Assist office and field staff with change-of-ownership applications and new-owner compliance checks.
• Visit industry partners with Food & Dairy inspectors during routine inspections of food production facilities.
• Shadow follow-up and re-inspections in retail food facilities.
• Observe and assist with food label reviews while learning about federal and state requirements.

Dairy

• Become familiar with key provisions of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's Pasteurized Milk Ordinance.
• Shadow TDA laboratory personnel while performing regulatory testing of dairy products and containers.
• Shadow TDA inspectors while performing on-farm visits and dairy sanitation inspections.
• Assist TDA office staff with the collection and reporting of required dairy data.
• Help collect dairy and water samples from processing facilities and dairy farms.

Produce Safety

• Assist the Produce Safety Program Coordinator in managing and implementing the Farm Inventory Maintenance Project in Tennessee.
• Gather producer information by phone, represent TDA and the project at local farmers markets and help create social media posts sharing project goals with stakeholders.

Other duties may be assigned as needed.

Education Requirements

• Applicants must possess a high school diploma and be currently seeking a degree in food science, agriculture or a related area of study.
• Recent college graduates, master's students and doctoral students may apply.
• Applicants must be in good academic standing with a GPA of 2.5 or higher.

Essential Knowledge and Required Skills

• Ideal candidates should have an interest in state regulation and public safety.
• Ability to work independently
• Familiarity with Microsoft Office is required.
• Comfort making and accepting phone calls
• General knowledge and understanding of the agriculture industry is preferred but not required.

Comments

• This is a paid internship.
• Some travel may be required.
• This internship is part of the TDA's central internship program. Interns may participate in program activities and must complete an improvement project within their assigned division, followed by a presentation to Executive Leadership at the end of the internship term.
• For more information on the Tennessee Department of Agriculture, please visit the TDA website.

Working Conditions

• This internship is primarily office-based with the possibility of some travel and the opportunity to work remotely at times.

How to Apply

Applications will be accepted from Friday, Oct. 9, 2026, through Thursday, Oct. 29, 2026. Applications must be submitted through the Formstack application available on the Tennessee Department of Agriculture's careers page. To be considered for this internship opportunity, you must have the following documents prepared:

• Resume
• Letter of intent
• Most recent transcript
• Two professional letters of recommendation
• DD214 (veteran candidates only)

Questions about this application or any internship opportunity may be directed to Jamye Freeman at Jamye.Freeman@tn.gov.

ALL APPLICATIONS MUST BE SUBMITTED BY THURSDAY, OCT. 29, 2026.