Food Scientists and Technologists
Food Scientist,
Food Technologist,
Research Food Technologist,
Research Scientist
What they do: 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.
- DemandNeutral
- state Avg. Salary $$$$$$66,240Download Career Flyer
What do they typically do on the job?
- 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.
- Develop new or improved ways of preserving, processing, packaging, storing, and delivering foods, using knowledge of chemistry, microbiology, and other sciences.
Personality
Interests
Career interests describe the perspectives and interests of people who enjoy the type of work involved in this career.
Discover what your interests are by taking the Interest Profiler Quiz
Knowledge
People who want to pursue this career have knowledge in these areas.
Manufactured or Agricultural Goods
Food production
Manufacture and distribution of products
Math and Science
Biology
Chemistry
Arts and Humanities
English language
Engineering and Technology
Product and service development
Abilities
Whether you have received formal training or not, these types of abilities are helpful in this career.
Verbal
Listen and understand what people say
Read and understand what is written
Ideas and Logic
Notice when problems happen
Make general rules or come up with answers from lots of detailed information
Math
Add, subtract, multiply, or divide
Choose the right type of math to solve a problem
Visual Understanding
See hidden patterns
Skills
People who want to pursue this career have skills in these areas.
Basic Skills
Listening to others, not interrupting, and asking good questions
Reading work related information
Problem Solving
Noticing a problem and figuring out the best way to solve it
People and Technology Systems
Thinking about the pros and cons of different options and picking the best one
Figuring out how a system should work and how changes in the future will affect it
Work Values
Work values describe how your core beliefs align with those commonly needed for this career.
Achievement
Occupations that satisfy this work value are results oriented and allow employees to use their strongest abilities, giving them a feeling of accomplishment. Corresponding needs are Ability Utilization and Achievement.
Support
Occupations that satisfy this work value offer supportive management that stands behind employees. Corresponding needs are Company Policies, Supervision: Human Relations and Supervision: Technical.
Recognition
Occupations that satisfy this work value offer advancement, potential for leadership, and are often considered prestigious. Corresponding needs are Advancement, Authority, Recognition and Social Status.
Does this sound like something you'd like to do?
1. Do some research
- Identify how your interests, values, and strengths match this occupation
- Talk to someone who works in this field or spend a day job shadowing
- Use the colleges and training directory to explore programs related to this career
2. Plan your next move
- Talk to your college and career counselor or school admissions staff
- Connect with a career advisor or mentor
- Visit Idaho Launch
- Search for available Food Scientists and Technologists jobs on Idaho Works
Data for NSI career cards comes from the following: Idaho Department of Labor, US Bureau of Labor Statistics, O*NET, MyNextMove, and Career OneStop