EXPLORING THE ENGLISH NEEDS OF FOOD TECHNOLOGY STUDENTS AT AN INDONESIAN UNIVERSITY CONTEXT

English plays an important role in supporting academic activities and professional preparation in higher education, particularly in disciplines that rely on scientific references and global communication such as Food Technology. Therefore, understanding students’ actual English needs is essential for designing an effective English for Specific Purposes (ESP) course. This study aims to explore the actual English needs of Food Technology students at an Indonesian university as a basis for developing an appropriate ESP course. The study adopts a comprehensive needs analysis framework and employs a mixed-methods research design. Quantitative data were collected through a questionnaire administered to 105 Food Technology students from different cohorts, while qualitative data were obtained through semi-structured interviews with the Head of the Food Technology Department, one subject lecturer, and two ESP lecturers. The findings reveal a mismatch between students’ recognition of the importance of English and their actual language proficiency. In addition, the results indicate that English language needs in ESP are highly discipline-specific, highlighting the importance of tailoring ESP instruction to the actual communicative demands of the Food Technology field.