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Career overview · SOC 19-1012

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.

Also called: Corporate Food Scientist · Food and Drug Research Scientist · Food Engineer · Food Safety Regulatory Manager · Food Scientist · Food Technologist

Median pay (national)
$85,310
$49,580–$141,860 (10th–90th)
Employed (US)
14,370
BLS OEWS, May 2024
Outlook 2024–34
+6.5%
~1,200 openings/yr
Typical entry
Bachelor's degree

What the numbers say

Refit analysis ·Pay for food scientists and technologists shows an unusually wide range: the top 10% earn $141,860 versus $49,580 at the bottom 10% — 2.9x. The median of $85,310 leaves roughly 66% of headroom to the 90th percentile, which is where seniority, specialization, and the skills below tend to pay off.
Refit analysis ·Employment is projected to change +6.5% from 2024 to 2034 — faster than the 3% all-occupation average. Even so, BLS projects about 1,200 openings a year, mostly to replace workers who retire or change careers.
Refit analysis ·Where you work moves the number a lot. Across the 36 states with released data, New Jersey pays the most for this role (median $102,630, +20% vs the national median), while Louisiana sits lowest at $57,200 — a 79% spread for the same job title.
Refit analysis ·O*NET rates Reading Comprehension, Critical Thinking, Active Learning as the highest-importance skills here — so a resume aimed at this role should lead with evidence of those, not a generic skills list. On the tools side, O*NET flags Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Office software, Microsoft Outlook, Microsoft PowerPoint as in-demand technologies for this role.

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Top skills employers ask for

Ranked by O*NET importance for this occupation.

  • Reading Comprehension
  • Critical Thinking
  • Active Learning
  • Active Listening
  • Writing
  • Speaking
  • Science
  • Monitoring
  • Mathematics
  • Learning Strategies

What they actually do

Core O*NET tasks for this role.

  • Inspect food processing areas to ensure compliance with government regulations and standards for sanitation, safety, quality, and waste management.
  • Check raw ingredients for maturity or stability for processing, and finished products for safety, quality, and nutritional value.
  • Study methods to improve aspects of foods, such as chemical composition, flavor, color, texture, nutritional value, and convenience.
  • Develop food standards and production specifications, safety and sanitary regulations, and waste management and water supply specifications.
  • Stay up to date on new regulations and current events regarding food science by reviewing scientific literature.
  • Study the structure and composition of food or the changes foods undergo in storage and processing.
  • Confer with process engineers, plant operators, flavor experts, and packaging and marketing specialists to resolve problems in product development.
  • Test new products for flavor, texture, color, nutritional content, and adherence to government and industry standards.
  • Develop new food items for production, based on consumer feedback.
  • Develop new or improved ways of preserving, processing, packaging, storing, and delivering foods, using knowledge of chemistry, microbiology, and other sciences.

Tools & technology

  • Microsoft Excel
  • Microsoft Office software
  • Microsoft Outlook
  • Microsoft PowerPoint
  • HubSpot software
  • Hypertext markup language HTML
  • Marketo Marketing Automation
  • R
  • SAP software
  • Structured query language SQL
  • Tableau
  • BioDiscovery ImaGene
  • Image analysis software
  • Insightful S-PLUS
  • MDS Analytical Technologies GenePix Pro
  • Oracle Eloqua

Knowledge areas

  • Production and Processing
  • Food Production
  • Chemistry
  • English Language
  • Mathematics
  • Engineering and Technology
  • Biology
  • Computers and Electronics