Food Scientist Career Profile
- Career Name - Food Scientist
- Category - Health / Farming & Livestock Management / Scientific Specialist
- Skills Required - Life skills 40% - Career skills 60%
- Basic Subjects - Science, Biology, Mathematics
- Minimum Education - Bachelor's Degree
- Species Worked With - Pets, Critters, Farm Animals, Wildlife
- Kind of Interaction with Animals - Direct
Do you want to work as a food science worker?
READ: This page helps you to read about the career and the info you need to decide on whether this is indeed the career you want to follow.
RESEARCH: Learn about the skills required and minimum subjects to enter this career, as well as the places where you can study further after school.
PREPARE: If you want to plan and prepare for your career, then join the OZT Community! Members have access to tools while chatting with other students and experts from around the world. Prepare to be amazed!
CAREER MENTORS
UPDATED:
2 May 2024
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What is a food scientist?
A food scientist is a professional who applies scientific principles to study the nature of food, improve its quality, and ensure its safety. They study food consumed by humans as well as domesticated animals to ensure that it is safe and wholesome to eat.
Alternative Names
Food scientists may be known by several alternative titles depending on their specific role or area of expertise. Some alternative names for food scientists include:
- Food technologist
- Food researcher
- Food engineer
- Food chemist
- Food microbiologist
- Food quality assurance specialist
- Food safety specialist
- Product development scientist
- Sensory scientist
- Culinary scientist
These titles may vary based on the industry or organization they work in and the specific tasks they perform within the field of food science.
Different Fields
They may also specialize in specific food science fields. These fields are discussed under their own career profiles:
Career Categories
The Food Scientist career can be found within the following OZT career categories:
- Health
- Farming & Livestock Management
- Scientific Specialist
What does a Food Scientist do?
Groups of animals a Food Scientist works with
What is the level of Interaction with the Animals?
- Directly - A person works directly with the animals with some form of physical contact at least once every few days
- Indirectly - The career doesn't require direct or physical contact at all.
With who does a Food Scientist work?
Besides working with all of the animals, Food Scientists will need to interact with other people while doing their daily tasks. The people might include fellow staff members or the public.
Fellow staff might include:
- Supervisors/Managers
- Operational staff, such as Human Resources, Finance and Maintenance
- Lab Technicians
What does a Food Scientist focus on?
The primary focus of food scientists is to study exactly what we or animals eat to ensure our safety and health. Their core duties can overlap with other careers, such as Nutritionist and Preservation Scientist.
What are the daily tasks of a Food Scientist?
- Research food ingredients, processing and preservation methods
- Analyze food content
- Analyze food deterioration
- Discover new food sources
- Administration and filing
Working Conditions of a Food Scientist
Where does a Food Scientist work?
Environment –
A Food Scientist normally works indoors in a laboratory or office setup. They do also spend some time in the outdoors, studying the animals, gathering samples.
Places of Employment –
A Food Scientist may find employment at food manufacturing facilities, food research institutions, universities and government.
What is the average annual salary of a Food Scientist?
On average the income per year is around $55,000. This will differ from country to country.
Can a Food Scientist be promoted?
Advancement in the field typically depends on work experience. First-year scientists often fit their training commitments around daily work demands.
The levels of each promotion might differ from organization to organization, but generally are the following:
Intern -> Junior Scientist -> Senior Scientist -> Manager
What kind of difficulties can a Food Scientist face?
They may work long hours and over weekends and holidays to finish work within tight deadlines.
Future growth and Possibilities
The growth within the career is highly competitive with an average at around 5% per year.
Which Skills are required by a Food Scientist?
The skills required for a career as a food scientist can be divided into two very important groups. The first is the group containing life skills, which are the core skills that are necessary or desirable for full participation in everyday life. The second group is career skills, or the specific skills required to allow a person to enter and operate effectively within a specific career. Some or maybe even all of the life skills can assist in strengthening the career skills, and they might even be the same for specific careers.
Life Skills
- Self-awareness
- Empathy
- Critical thinking
- Creative thinking
- Decision making
- Problem Solving
- Effective communication
- Interpersonal relationship
Career Skills
- Basic customer service skills
- Good health and physical fitness
- Excellent computer literacy
Which Subjects must I have at School to help prepare for this Career?
Biology will be your most important subject, as it teaches you more about the basics of animals, as well as help you to gain admission into university.
Science will be your main subject at university, as you learn how to use equipment and scientific methods to do research
Being a scientist requires good knowledge of mathematics.
The subjects you choose at school are important as they lay the foundation for further studies at college or university. While still at school, it’s also important to learn more about the animals you will work with, as well as gain some experience.
OZT has a list of various tertiary institutions where you can study further, after school. Each of these institutions also have their own Group page on OZT where you will find the exact subjects they require of you to have passed in school. Keep these requirements in mind, and discuss it with your school, guidance counselor and parents to ensure that you are prepared!
What will I need to Study to become a Food Scientist?
Minimum educational requirements
To become a food scientist requires at least a Bachelor’s Degree. It is also possible to study further and specialize in specific fields, such as food preservation.
Study Focus
Major –
Important majors to follow will be in an area such as food science, chemistry, microbiology, or a related field.
Short Courses –
With such a dynamic career, there will always be plenty of short courses to assist in strengthening your skills and knowledge.
Study Duration
The duration of a Bachelor’s Degrees can be up to 3 or 4 years. Short Courses are usually between a few weeks and a year.
FREE Career Path Plan
If this is your dream career that you want to pursue, then it’s important to plan the way forward.
Why is planning important?
To ensure that you understand the requirements for your career, and that you are always prepared for the next step on the road towards your dream. A preparation path is like a road map to where you want to be.
Possible Paths:
Here’s a possible career preparation path for a high school student interested in becoming a food scientist:
1. Attend Career Guidance Sessions:
Attend sessions organised by the school or local community to learn about various career options, including food science.
2. Research all of the possible careers:
Conduct thorough research on careers related to food science, exploring different roles, industries, and opportunities within the field.
3. Explore Educational Paths:
Investigate different educational paths to becoming a food scientist, such as undergraduate degrees in food science, food technology, chemistry, biology, or related fields.
4. Align high school subjects with the educational path:
Take relevant high school courses in science (chemistry, biology), mathematics, and possibly home economics or food science if available.
5. Obtain a High School Diploma or Equivalent:
Focus on academic studies to obtain a high school diploma or equivalent qualification.
6. Learn about the animals that you will work with:
While food science primarily focuses on food products, understanding basic concepts of animal biology and behaviour can be beneficial, especially if the student plans to work in sectors such as meat processing or dairy science.
7. Align the post-school path with either entering a career/job directly, studying further, or starting a business:
Decide whether to pursue further education (e.g., a bachelor’s degree), enter the workforce directly (e.g., entry-level positions or apprenticeships), or consider entrepreneurship opportunities (e.g., starting a food-related business).
8. Gain experience through volunteering, internships, mentorship, etc.:
Seek opportunities to gain hands-on experience through volunteering, internships, or mentorship programmes at food companies, research institutions, or laboratories.
9. Pursue Extracurricular Activities:
Engage in extracurricular activities related to food science or STEM fields, such as science clubs, culinary clubs, or participating in science fairs.
10. Join Professional Associations:
Join professional organisations or associations related to food science, such as the Institute of Food Technologists (IFT), to network with professionals and stay updated on industry trends.
11. Gain Specialised Skills:
Develop specialised skills relevant to food science, such as laboratory techniques, food safety protocols, sensory evaluation, or product development.
12. Network with Professionals:
Attend industry events, conferences, or networking sessions to connect with professionals in the field and learn from their experiences.
13. Enter the job market, finish tertiary studies, or launch a business:
After completing education or gaining sufficient experience, enter the job market, pursue higher studies if desired, or consider starting a food-related business venture.
14. Stay Updated and Pursue Continuing Education:
Stay informed about advancements in food science through continuous learning, professional development courses, or pursuing advanced degrees to enhance career prospects and stay competitive in the field.
Possible Combined Career Paths
It is possible to sometimes combine two or more related careers. This normally happens when you study and practice a specific main career, but the knowledge and experience gained also help you to have a paying hobby or secondary income career.
Possible Alternatives (there are a lot more):
Training and apprenticeship
Even though it is important to study to get into some of the animal careers, most of the skills you will need as a food scientist will be acquired through practice. This means that you will learn how to perform some of the daily tasks by actually doing it a few times and learning the steps.
In some cases entry level positions require training sessions even before you are allowed to actually perform your job duties. These sessions are offered by the place of employment, after you have successfully applied.
Apprenticeship is also possible where you need to learn skills from an expert.
Join the Food Scientists Group in the OZT Community to learn more and even interact with the educational institutions that will help you secure your dream career!
Average level of educational qualification people had when entering the Career
Licenses, Certificate, Registration and Professional Associations
Certain animal careers require some form of legal certification to prove that you can indeed do the work, and work with the necessary equipment.
Although not required by law, certifications may help workers establish their credentials and enhance their skills.
Learn more about requirements by joining the OZT Community.
Professional Associations
Where can I study further?
All of the above information will help you understand more about the Career, including the fact that there are different paths to take to reach it. But if you are almost done with High School (Grades 11 or 12), you also need to start thinking about further studies, and WHERE you will study.
See the List of Universities, Colleges and Online Training Academies who offer courses towards food production and safety.
How do I start to prepare for this Career?
If you do decide on following this career, then OZT can assist you in figuring out a path to prepare, as well as help you to gain further knowledge about the career and the animals you will be working with. We do this by offering you FREE career development tools. There are almost a dozen free tools, but these are the three primary ones:
CAREER PATH PLAN
Use the career path plan above on this profile as an example to follow, or to work out your own path.
COST; Free
ACCESS: Open to visitors and Members
SHORT COURSES
Access easy-to-use short courses to make your career preparation easier! The basic information in each course is free, but the rewards can only be unlocked as an OZT member!
COST; Free
ACCESS: Open to visitors and Members
STUDY GUIDE
Get a supercharged study guide that fits into the career path plan! Now that's really upping your preparation game! Join us for free to gain access!
COST; Free
ACCESS: Members Only
But, if you are still uncertain about choosing this specific career, and even where to start, then have a look at our special series of WHAT NEXT courses (link below). They take you through all of the questions you might have on how to choose the right career, what to do while at and after school, and even how to start your own business.
Join the OZT Community & Career Group
Join us as a special member and learn more about becoming a food scientist.
Members of the Platform have special access to:
- Info on the best places where you can study (colleges, universities and online)
- Expertly designed advice to prepare you for the career, and links to places where you can gain valuable experience. For some career experience is necessary, otherwise you wont get the job!
- Top notch info on each of the different species you will work with
- Make friends around the world and share knowledge
- Compete and win points, badges, games, prizes and certificates. Be the best of the best, while you learn and prepare!
If you have decided on being a Food Scientist, please click on the JOIN GROUP button. Members will be directed to the Group, while non-members will be assisted to register first.
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