15 Summer Nutrition Internships for High School Students
Doing an internship during high school is a great way to step outside the classroom and see what a real job is actually like. It gives you hands-on experience in a field you might want to pursue, helping you figure out early on if it is the right fit for you before committing to a career path. Beyond personal growth, it makes your college applications and future resume stand out by showing that you are proactive and eager to learn. By building practical skills and connecting with professionals, you are giving yourself a head start and better odds when it comes time to apply for jobs down the road.
Why should I intern in nutrition? What will I do as a summer intern at a nutrition internship?
Nutrition is an all-encompassing and impactful area of research. Truly, there’s a whole world out there of health, wellness, and food science for interested students to explore. Summer nutrition internships can be a great way for you to dive into real-world work while gaining meaningful experience. Participating in a summer nutrition internship can allow you to develop skills that translate well into your future work, and learn more about public health, dietary science, and how nutrition impacts communities. If you’re considering a future career as a dietitian, nutrition researcher, healthcare professional, or food policy advocate, early exposure through an internship can help you clarify your goals and build confidence in your studies.
How have we shortlisted the best summer nutrition internships for high school students?
Summer programs are especially appealing since they allow you to explore your interests without the long-term commitment of a formal academic track. To help narrow down your search, we’ve curated a list of the top summer nutrition internships for high school students, selecting programs that offer structured experiences, skill development, and meaningful exposure to the field of nutrition and health sciences.
15 Summer Nutrition Internships for High School Students
1. NRI's Virtual Internship Program (VIP) 2025: Shaping the Future of Nutrition Research
Location: Virtual
Cost: $25 registration fee; scholarships are available
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Competitive; around 54 students
Dates: 4 weeks in June
Application Deadline: Late March
Eligibility: Rising 9th graders to rising college freshmen
The Virtual Internship Program (VIP) from the UNC Nutrition Research Institute is a free, four-week summer experience that introduces high school students to the field of nutrition research through online lectures and group mentoring sessions led by NRI faculty and research staff. You participate in virtual discussions on topics such as research methods and precision nutrition, and you collaborate with mentors to conduct independent research on a nutrient of your choice. Throughout the program, you build skills in scientific research, critical thinking, and communication. In the final week, you will present a scientific poster summarizing your findings to peers and NRI scientists.
2. Ladder Internship Program
Location: Remote! You can work from anywhere in the world.
Cost/Stipend: Cost varies depending on the program type; full financial aid available / No stipend
Acceptance rate/cohort size: 10–25% acceptance; 70–100 students per cohort
Dates: Multiple cohorts throughout the year, including Spring, Summer, Fall, and Winter.
Application Deadline: Varies depending on the cohort; Spring (January), Summer (May), Fall (September), and Winter (November)
Eligibility: High school students, undergraduates, and gap year students who can work for 10-20 hours/week for 8-12 weeks
Ladder Internships is a selective startup internship program for ambitious high school students. In the program, you work with high-performing founders who have experience from companies like Google and Microsoft. Start-ups that offer internships across a variety of industries, from tech/deep tech and AI/ML to health tech, marketing, journalism, consulting, and more. Ladder’s startups are high-growth companies on average, raising over $1 million. Interns work closely with their manager at the startup on real-world projects and present their work to the company. The virtual internship is usually 8 weeks long.
3. Brighter Bites – Summer Nutrition / Public Health Internships
Location: Multiple (Houston, Dallas, Austin, NYC, Washington D.C., Southwest Florida, Salinas)
Stipend: None
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Selective; cohort size varies by location
Dates: Summer Cohort (Dates vary by city)
Application Deadline: May 22
Eligibility: High school students and older; requires ability to lift 50 lbs, travel independently, and an interest in public health
The Brighter Bites internship immerses you in the daily operations of a community nutrition non-profit focused on combating food insecurity and childhood obesity. You will explore topics like public health intervention, nutrition education, and food justice. During the program, you will actively engage in bagging fresh produce, distributing food to parents, playing educational games with children, and assisting with nutrition lessons. This unique food co-op model sets the experience apart from standard desk internships by putting you right in the field to engage directly with the community. Ultimately, you will build practical skills in community communication, logistics management, and public health outreach while helping families make healthier choices.
4. USDA Pathways Internship Program (Nutrition-related placements)
Location: Varies nationwide across USDA agencies (with some remote options)
Stipend: Paid hourly, rate not disclosed
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Highly competitive; cohort size varies annually based on agency funding and available open positions
Dates: Flexible (includes summer, fall, spring, or year-round terms)
Application Deadline: Rolling deadlines (varies depending on individual job postings on USAJOBS)
Eligibility: U.S. citizen or national, at least 16 years old, enrolled at least half-time in a qualifying educational institution (including high school), and in good academic standing
The USDA Pathways Internship Program offers you a paid opportunity to step into federal public service while exploring topics like nutrition policy, community health, dietary guidelines, and food safety. During your internship, you will analyze community food access data, develop educational nutrition materials, assist in agricultural health research, and shadow public health officials. The program serves as a direct pipeline, allowing you to potentially convert to a permanent federal career after graduation. By working alongside established experts, you will build highly practical skills in data analysis, project management, and scientific communication. Ultimately, this experience equips you with the real-world background needed to jumpstart your career in public health and agriculture.
5. STEP Science & Nutrition Summer Research Program
Location: Duarte, CA
Cost/Stipend: None
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Selective; small groups
Dates: July 7–30
Application Deadline: March 9
Eligibility: Current high school students in grades 9–12
STEP is a four-week on-campus program for high school students interested in summer nutrition internships. It covers nutrition, macronutrients, socioeconomic impacts of food, what constitutes a balanced diet, and what affects health. The program involves exploring the City of Hope community garden, where you’ll reflect on how food influences various areas of life, including society, environment, and community. You’ll also participate in hands-on labs and case studies. Near the end, you will be involved in a final group project where you’ll analyze literature, develop research questions, and propose solutions to real-world problems affecting food and health.
6. Fresh Approach Nutrition Internships
Location: San Francisco Bay Area, California (e.g., East Palo Alto, San Mateo)
Stipend: Paid, amount not disclosed
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Competitive; cohort size varies based on available positions and community funding
Dates: Summer: June – August
Application Deadline: Rolling basis
Eligibility: High school students (ages 16-17 need guardian consent), college students, and community members
As an intern at Fresh Approach, you will explore topics such as community nutrition, food justice, public health, and sustainable food systems. You get to step out into local neighborhoods by maintaining urban gardens, assisting customers at mobile farmers' markets, collecting compost, and conducting wellness outreach. The program directly focuses on food access and allows you to set personalized learning goals while working side-by-side with staff members. Throughout your time, you will build practical skills in urban farming, public communication, customer service, and community leadership. This experience gives you the hands-on practice needed to help people understand nutrition and access healthy, affordable food.
7. Aramark Student Nutrition High School Internships
Location: Varies by partnered school district (e.g., Baytown, Texas)
Stipend: Paid hourly, rate not disclosed
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Competitive; cohort size varies by district
Dates: 6 weeks during the summer
Application Deadline: Varies by individual school district
Eligibility: High school juniors and seniors enrolled in the culinary arts program of an Aramark-partnered school district
In this internship, you will rotate weekly to learn front-line operations and behind-the-scenes planning, covering topics like menu development, dietary regulations, and catering management. During the internship, you will work alongside executive chefs, shadow account managers, distribute summer community meals, and independently plan and execute a custom catered luncheon for district leadership. A unique feature of this program is its direct mentorship model, allowing you to transition seamlessly from classroom theory to commercial kitchen reality. Through these experiences, you will build practical skills in culinary execution, supply ordering, food safety, and marketing and graphic design.
8. Sodexo (K-12 Schools Division) High School Internships
Location: Various K-12 school cafeterias across the United States
Stipend: Paid, amount not disclosed
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Selective; cohort size varies by local school district
Dates: Year-round
Application Deadline: Rolling basis
Eligibility: High school students attending a Sodexo-partnered school
As a student worker in Sodexo's K-12 food service program, you work right inside your own school cafeteria. You will cover important topics like basic cooking, food safety rules, and school nutrition standards. During your shifts, you will do activities like preparing daily meals, serving food to your classmates, keeping the kitchen clean, and organizing the pantry. The unique feature of this role is that you earn money while working in the exact same building where you study. By the end, you will learn practical skills like teamwork, time management, customer service, and safe food handling.
9. Chartwells K12 (A Compass Group Company) – High School Internships
Location: Various K-12 school districts across the U.S.
Stipend: Paid hourly, rate not disclosed
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Selective; typically 2 to 10 students per school
Dates: Varies (often 12-week sessions during the semester or summer)
Application Deadline: Varies by participating school district
Eligibility: High school juniors and seniors attending a partnered school district
As a culinary intern with Chartwells K12, you will get real-world experience working right inside a school cafeteria kitchen. You will learn important topics like food service operations, nutrition guidelines, and kitchen safety. During your shifts, you will do hands-on activities like chopping vegetables, prepping daily meals, running the cash register, and checking inventory. You receive one-on-one training from professional chefs while earning an hourly wage. By completing this work, you will build skills in basic knife handling, customer service, teamwork, and safe food preparation.
10. Food + by Compass Group High School Internships
Location: Global sites (including Mountain View, Singapore, Sydney, and London)
Stipend: Paid and unpaid options available
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Competitive; cohort size varies by location
Dates: Summer
Application Deadline: Rolling basis
Eligibility: High school students looking to fulfill internship hours or gain training
As a student in the Food+ program, you will get a great start in the food industry by working closely with skilled chefs and managers. The program covers important topics like culinary arts, hospitality management, baking, food safety, nutrition, and quality control. During your time, you will help develop menus, prepare food in top-class kitchens, practice safe food handling, and learn how to buy ingredients responsibly. A very unique feature of this program is that you can work in amazing tech company offices around the world. By doing this, you will learn practical cooking skills, teamwork, kitchen operations, and how to work safely in a busy environment.
11. A Day in the Life of a Dietitian Camp – Texas Woman's University
Location: Denton Campus (Wellness Kitchen, Health Sciences Center), Texas Woman's University
Cost: $125
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Highly competitive; 10 students maximum
Dates: June 23-24
Application Deadline: Rolling (until the 10 spots are filled)
Eligibility: Middle and high school students (Ages 12-18)
This two-day camp introduces you to the daily work of dietetics and nutrition, covering how professionals operate in hospitals, schools, sports, and private practice. During the program, you will participate in mini-simulations, work through real-world case scenarios, talk directly with practicing dietitians, and prepare your own healthy lunches. A unique feature of this camp is its very small group size of just ten students, which lets you learn hands-on in the university's new Wellness Kitchen. You will build practical culinary skills using different cooking techniques and learn how to apply food science to everyday health. Overall, this experience gives you a clear picture of what a career in nutrition actually looks like while you are still a teenager.
12. Food is a Passport Summer Nutrition Camp – Texas Woman's University
Location: Denton, Texas (Texas Woman's University Campus)
Cost: $325
Acceptance rate/cohort size: First-come, first-served (Registration required); limited capacity
Dates: June 15–18
Application Deadline: Rolling basis
Eligibility: Students ages 9–15
In this camp, you will explore global cuisines while learning how your cultural identity influences your diet and health. Throughout the four-day program, you will cover topics like balanced nutrition, mindful eating, and the direct connections between food, culture, science, and wellness. You will do hands-on activities like virtually "traveling" to different regions of the world, taste-testing unique ingredients, and preparing simple, healthy dishes inspired by those global cultures. The camp perfectly blends world geography with hands-on culinary science, letting you appreciate the history behind what you eat.
13. Feeding Your Future Camp – Kansas State University
Location: Kansas State University (Manhattan, Kansas)
Cost: $75
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Selective; up to 30 students
Dates: June 9–13
Application Deadline: Rolling basis
Eligibility: Students entering their sophomore, junior, or senior year of high school for the upcoming school year
In the Feeding Your Future Summer Camp, you will learn how grain goes from a plant in the ground to the food on your plate. During the week, you will tour agronomy research farms, mill your own grains, and bake human food or make pet treats in actual university labs. The camp enables you to use massive, professional-grade equipment like the campus flour mill and feed technology center. You will also spend an evening talking directly with food industry professionals to learn about ambitious career paths in agriculture. By the end of the trip, you will build practical, hands-on skills in food processing, recipe building, and professional networking.
14. Nutrition in Health Pre-College Program (Syracuse University)
Location: Online
Cost: $3,165 (for a 3-credit online course); need-based aid, partial scholarships, and discounts are available
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Selective; small groups
Dates: July 6–23
Application Deadline: May 1
Eligibility: Rising high school juniors, seniors with a GPA above 3.0 who have completed high school biology and chemistry
In this online summer course, you learn the basics of human nutrition and how your body uses nutrients to stay healthy and prevent disease. The classes cover practical topics like weight control, sports nutrition, dietary supplements, food safety, and sustainability. For your daily activities, you will track and evaluate your own diet, work on group problem-solving tasks, and go on real-world trips to local grocery stores and farmers’ markets. The program gives you three college credits while mixing live online lessons with offline, hands-on community tasks. By the time you finish, you will check if nutrition claims are true and make smart choices about the food you eat.
15. USC Pre-College Summer Program: The Science of Food, Nutrition and the Biological World
Location: University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA
Cost: $11,570 (Residential) or $8,130 (Commuter) + $85 application fee; International: $12,208 + visa fees
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Selective; small cohorts
Dates: June 22 – July 17
Application Deadline: Domestic: May 8; International: March 13
Eligibility: Completed at least 9th grade, pursuing a rigorous high school curriculum, and completed one year of high school biology with a B grade or higher
In this four-week summer program, you will explore the biological sciences through the food you eat every day. You will study all of its core topics, including plant and animal biology, genetics and GMOs, agricultural environmental impacts, nutrition, food chemistry, and the biology of taste and smell. Throughout the course, you will engage in hands-on activities such as setting up miso fermentation, making your own lactose-free cream cheese, and visiting a farm and a cooking school. By the end, you will have learned valuable skills like how to design scientific experiments, decode complex food labels, and calculate your personal dietary requirements.
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