What Do Food Science Technicians Do (including Their Typical Day At Work)

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Job Description, Daily Responsibilities, and Work Life

Food Science Technicians

Food Science Technicians perform standardized qualitative and quantitative tests to determine physical or chemical properties of food or beverage products.

Salary
$45920
Becoming One
Medium
Education
No degree required
Job Satisfaction
Job Growth

Personality



Job Description

Job Description

Food Science Technicians perform standardized qualitative and quantitative tests to determine physical or chemical properties of food or beverage products. They also record or compile test results or prepare graphs, charts, or reports.

Other tasks include:

  • Conduct standardized tests on food, beverages, additives, or preservatives to ensure compliance with standards and regulations regarding factors such as color, texture, or nutrients.
  • Maintain records of testing results or other documents as required by state or other governing agencies.
  • Taste or smell foods or beverages to ensure that flavors meet specifications or to select samples with specific characteristics.
  • Monitor and control temperature of products.
  • Compute moisture or salt content, percentages of ingredients, formulas, or other product factors, using mathematical and chemical procedures.
  • Perform regular maintenance of laboratory equipment by inspecting, calibrating, cleaning, or sterilizing.

We asked Food Science Technicians how satisfied they are with their job. Here is what they said.

Job satisfaction

69%

How meaningful is this job

65%


69% of them said they were satisfied with their job and 65% said they find that their job makes the world a better place or helps to make someone else’s life better.



Typical Day At Work

On a daily basis, Food Science Technicians provide assistance to food scientists or technologists in research and development, production technology, or quality control. They perform regular maintenance of laboratory equipment by inspecting, calibrating, cleaning, or sterilizing.

A typical day for a Food Science Technician will also include:

  • Record or compile test results or prepare graphs, charts, or reports.
  • Conduct standardized tests on food, beverages, additives, or preservatives to ensure compliance with standards and regulations regarding factors such as color, texture, or nutrients.
  • Maintain records of testing results or other documents as required by state or other governing agencies.
  • Taste or smell foods or beverages to ensure that flavors meet specifications or to select samples with specific characteristics.
  • Analyze test results to classify products or compare results with standard tables.

We asked some Food Science Technicians a few questions to find out what else does their work day look like. Here is what we found.

Do you have telephone conversations everyday in this job? 48% said yes
How important is it to work in a team in this job? 54% said very important
Do you have group discussions everyday in this job? 62% said yes
Do you talk or work with customers everyday in this job? 8% said yes
Do you have to deal with angry customers everyday in this job? 7% said yes
Do you have to make decisions everyday in this job? 57% said yes

Other responsibilities

Besides their typical day, Food Science Technicians also order supplies needed to maintain inventories in laboratories or in storage facilities of food or beverage processing plants. They may also mix, blend, or cultivate ingredients to make reagents or to manufacture food or beverage products.

On a weekly to monthly basis, Food Science Technicians Monitor and control temperature of products. They might also Prepare or incubate slides with cell cultures.

In addition, they Taste or smell foods or beverages to ensure that flavors meet specifications or to select samples with specific characteristics.

Although specific duties may vary, many of them Examine chemical or biological samples to identify cell structures or to locate bacteria or extraneous material, using a microscope.

To some Food Science Technicians, it is also their responsibility to Compute moisture or salt content, percentages of ingredients, formulas, or other product factors, using mathematical and chemical procedures.


Working life

Working hours

Standard 40 hour work week

Working schedule

Regular schedule like a 9 to 5

In a typical work week as a Food Science Technician, you can expect to work 40 hour work week.

Do Food Science Technicians work in an office-style work environment?

Every day
84%


Never
9%


Do Food Science Technicians work outdoors?

Never
68%


Once a year
27%



Is this right for me

Best personality for this career

The Builders and The Thinkers

People who are suitable for this job tends to like work activities that include practical, hands-on problems and solutions. They like working with plants, animals, and real-world materials like wood, tools, and machinery..

They also like working with ideas, and require an extensive amount of thinking. They like searching for facts and figuring out problems mentally.

You can read more about these career personality types here.



Learn more about Food Science Technicians

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Related to Food Science Technicians Job Description

Food Science Technicians job description, what do Food Science Technicians do, typical day for Food Science Technicians, what is it like to work as a Food Science Technician, how many hours do Food Science Technicians work, day to day work of a Food Science Technician

Additional resources

http://www.bls.gov/OOH/life-physical-and-social-science/agricultural-and-food-science-technicians.htm
http://www.ift.org/


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