What You'll Do

  • Test new products for flavor, texture, color, nutritional content, and adherence to government and industry standards.
  • Check raw ingredients for maturity or stability for processing, and finished products for safety, quality, and nutritional value.
  • Confer with process engineers, plant operators, flavor experts, and packaging and marketing specialists to resolve problems in product development.
  • 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.
  • Study the structure and composition of food or the changes foods undergo in storage and processing.
  • Develop new or improved ways of preserving, processing, packaging, storing, and delivering foods, using knowledge of chemistry, microbiology, and other sciences.
  • Develop food standards and production specifications, safety and sanitary regulations, and waste management and water supply specifications.
  • Demonstrate products to clients.
  • Inspect food processing areas to ensure compliance with government regulations and standards for sanitation, safety, quality, and waste management.

Essential Skills

Reading Comprehension 4.0/5
Critical Thinking 4.0/5
Active Learning 4.0/5
Active Listening 3.88/5
Writing 3.88/5
Speaking 3.88/5
Science 3.88/5
Complex Problem Solving 3.88/5
Judgment and Decision Making 3.88/5
Monitoring 3.62/5
Systems Analysis 3.62/5
Systems Evaluation 3.62/5

Career Fit Overview

Use this summary to sense whether the day to day rhythm and focus of this path line up with what energizes you.

Top passions

  • Analyst: Investigating problems and finding patterns keeps you engaged.
  • Maker: Building and fixing energizes you. You like tangible results and practical tools.
  • Organizer: Bringing order to data and processes satisfies you.

Common styles

Attention to Detail, Dependability, Adaptability/Flexibility, Integrity, Analytical Thinking

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Key Abilities

This career demands strong capabilities in the following areas:

Problem Sensitivity 4.12/5
Oral Comprehension 4.0/5
Written Comprehension 4.0/5
Oral Expression 4.0/5
Written Expression 4.0/5
Deductive Reasoning 4.0/5
Inductive Reasoning 4.0/5
Information Ordering 4.0/5

Technologies & Tools

BioDiscovery ImaGene HubSpot software Hypertext markup language HTML Image analysis software Insightful S-PLUS Marketo Marketing Automation MDS Analytical Technologies GenePix Pro Microsoft Access Microsoft Excel Microsoft Office software Microsoft Outlook Microsoft PowerPoint Microsoft Word Oracle Eloqua PathogenTracker R SAP software Sensory Computer Systems SIMS STATISTICA Structured query language SQL

Work Environment & Style

Common Styles for This Career

  • Attention to Detail (High importance: 4.59/5)
  • Dependability (High importance: 4.55/5)
  • Adaptability/Flexibility (High importance: 4.5/5)
  • Integrity (High importance: 4.41/5)
  • Analytical Thinking (High importance: 4.33/5)

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How to Become One

Most employers require a bachelor's degree in a relevant field. Some positions may also require experience through internships, co-ops, or entry-level work to strengthen your candidacy.

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Also Known As

This career is known by many different job titles across industries. Here are all the variations:

Corporate Food Scientist Crop Advisor Dairy Bacteriologist Enologist Fermentation Scientist Flavorist Food and Drug Research Scientist Food Engineer Food Preservation Scientist Food Processing Scientist Food Safety Auditor Food Safety Regulatory Manager Food Safety Scientist Food Scientist Food Technologist Formulator Hybrid Corn Breeder Hybrid Technologist Product Development Scientist QC Scientist (Quality Control Scientist) Quality Food Expert Research Chef Research Scientist Scientist Swine Nutritionist Swine Technician (Swine Tech)