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Food Scientist and Technologist

Career Advice on How to Become A Food Scientist and Technologist

General Career Information

The career of food scientists and technologist is one of those careers that will no doubt cause people to ask, “So exactly what does a food scientist do exactly?”  Food scientists and technologists can be found working for both the government and business.  Their knowledge is often used to help improve food products in a variety of ways, whether it is researching foods and food compounds, or attempting to analyze food for its nutritional content.  In short, a career as a food scientist or technologist is one where one’s knowledge of several scientific disciplines can come into play.

Due to the nature of their work, food scientist and technologists are required to have a broad spectrum of knowledge from several different sciences.  Food scientists and technologists must have a working knowledge of several scientific disciplines in order to perform their job.  It is common for food scientists and technologist to have working knowledge in everything from biotechnology and chemistry to engineering and even physics.

Often food scientists and technologist are called upon to help remove harmful additives from the food supply or work to ensure that safety regulations are being meet.  In business, food scientists and technologists are often employed to make food processing more efficient.

 

Career Facts:

While food scientists and technologists can be found working in various industries and fields, a large percentage can be found working for the government.  In fact, about fourteen percent of food scientists and technologists work for the government.   Between now and 2016, the opportunities for food scientists and technologists with advanced degrees is expected to be strong.

 

Career Opportunities and Job Outlook- Average:

With a job growth rate of about nine percent, the job growth rate for food scientists and technologists should be about average.  Many will find that they are performing research in how to increase crop yields and deal with other crop related problems.
 
 
Job Outlook is Fair
 

A Day in The Life:

For most food scientist and technologists, their days are spent working in labs and offices.  It is common to find them working in government, industry as well as universities and colleges.  Much of their day is spent performing research.
 

Average Salary:

The average salary for a food scientist and technologist is about $53,000, with the top ten percent earning as much as $93,000 per year.

$53k

 

Career Training and Qualifications:

It is common for food scientist and technologists to have at least a master’s degree in food science or a related field.  Many food scientist and technologist have PhD’s.  During their studies, it is common for food scientists to study such topics as food microbiology and food engineering.  Additionally, they may study how food processing works, and other topics such as soil chemistry.