What Do Food Scientists and Technologists Do (including Their Typical Day At Work)

Job Description

Food Scientists and Technologists use chemistry, microbiology, engineering, and other sciences to study the principles underlying the processing and deterioration of foods; analyze food content to determine levels of vitamins, fat, sugar, and protein; discover new food sources; research ways to make processed foods safe, palatable, and healthful; and apply food science knowledge to determine best ways to process, package, preserve, store, and distribute food. They also check raw ingredients for maturity or stability for processing, and finished products for safety, quality, and nutritional value.

Other tasks include:

• Inspect food processing areas to ensure compliance with government regulations and standards for sanitation, safety, quality, and waste management.
• Evaluate food processing and storage operations and assist in the development of quality assurance programs for such operations.
• Study methods to improve aspects of foods, such as chemical composition, flavor, color, texture, nutritional value, and convenience.
• Stay up to date on new regulations and current events regarding food science by reviewing scientific literature.
• Test new products for flavor, texture, color, nutritional content, and adherence to government and industry standards.
• Develop food standards and production specifications, safety and sanitary regulations, and waste management and water supply specifications.

We asked Food Scientists and Technologists how satisfied they are with their job. Here is what they said.

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72% of them said they were satisfied with their job and 52% 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 Scientists and Technologists check raw ingredients for maturity or stability for processing, and finished products for safety, quality, and nutritional value. They inspect food processing areas to ensure compliance with government regulations and standards for sanitation, safety, quality, and waste management.

A typical day for a Food Scientist and Technologist will also include:

• Test new products for flavor, texture, color, nutritional content, and adherence to government and industry standards.
• Study the structure and composition of food or the changes foods undergo in storage and processing.
• Evaluate food processing and storage operations and assist in the development of quality assurance programs for such operations.
• Study methods to improve aspects of foods, such as chemical composition, flavor, color, texture, nutritional value, and convenience.
• Stay up to date on new regulations and current events regarding food science by reviewing scientific literature.

We asked some Food Scientists and Technologists 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?	77% said yes
	How important is it to work in a team in this job?	50% said very important
	Do you have group discussions everyday in this job?	65% said yes
	Do you talk or work with customers everyday in this job?	15% said yes
	Do you have to deal with angry customers everyday in this job?	0% said yes
	Do you have to make decisions everyday in this job?	15% said yes

Other responsibilities

Besides their typical day, Food Scientists and Technologists also stay up to date on new regulations and current events regarding food science by reviewing scientific literature. They may also seek substitutes for harmful or undesirable additives, such as nitrites.

On a weekly to monthly basis, Food Scientists and Technologists Study methods to improve aspects of foods, such as chemical composition, flavor, color, texture, nutritional value, and convenience. They might also Confer with process engineers, plant operators, flavor experts, and packaging and marketing specialists to resolve problems in product development.

In addition, they Study the structure and composition of food or the changes foods undergo in storage and processing.

Although specific duties may vary, many of them Develop new food items for production, based on consumer feedback.

To some Food Scientists and Technologists, it is also their responsibility to Evaluate food processing and storage operations and assist in the development of quality assurance programs for such operations.

Working life

More than 40 hours per week

Regular schedule like a 9 to 5

In a typical work week as a Food Scientist and Technologist, you can expect to work more than 40 hours per week.

Is this right for me

People who are suitable for this job tends to like working with ideas, and require an extensive amount of thinking. They like searching for facts and figuring out problems mentally..

They also 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.

You can read more about these career personality types here.

Explore other careers

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

https://www.asas.org/

http://www.arpas.org/

https://www.agronomy.org/