Career-PathGPS
← All education and training
Career

Food Scientists and Technologists

Typical education: Bachelor's degreeModerate pressure Bright Outlook

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.

Kinds of work

  • Investigative: Science, research, figuring out how things work and solving complex problems.
  • Realistic: Hands-on work with tools, machines, plants or animals, often outdoors.
  • Conventional: Organizing information, following clear procedures and working with data and details.

Moderate pressure: How much pressure workers in this job report: deadlines, conflict, dealing with upset people, the cost of mistakes, responsibility for others' safety, competition and long hours. It varies a lot from one employer to the next. Source: U.S. Department of Labor worker surveys.

Pay, tasks and more

Salary

United States $88,720 Median per year · $42.65/hr Most earn $52,920–$145,280

BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, 2025.

What you might do

  • Confer with process engineers, plant operators, flavor experts, and packaging and marketing specialists to resolve problems in product development.
  • Seek substitutes for harmful or undesirable additives, such as nitrites.
  • Check raw ingredients for maturity or stability for processing, and finished products for safety, quality, and nutritional value.
  • Develop food standards and production specifications, safety and sanitary regulations, and waste management and water supply specifications.
  • Test new products for flavor, texture, color, nutritional content, and adherence to government and industry standards.
  • Evaluate food processing and storage operations and assist in the development of quality assurance programs for such operations.

Job outlook

Bright Outlook Rapid Growth

United States
6% more jobs by 2035, faster than average · about 1,000 openings a year

Openings include new jobs and jobs left by workers who retire or change careers. Projections: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. "Bright Outlook": U.S. Department of Labor.

Where they work

  • Other food manufacturing15.8%
  • Management of companies and enterprises10.6%
  • Research and development in the physical, engineering, and life sciences7.3%
  • Dairy product manufacturing7.0%
  • Animal slaughtering and processing6.2%

Share of all workers in this career. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, National Employment Matrix.

Experience before this job: 6 months to 1 year

Career path

How people usually get into this career, from school to their first job and beyond.

Typical education: Bachelor's degreeExperience before this job: 6 months to 1 year

Food science is usually reached with a bachelor's degree, and most people also get about 6 months to 1 year of hands-on lab or plant experience before landing a food scientist role. Plan on roughly 5 years from starting college to this job, though internships can shorten the wait.

  1. Bachelor's degree in food science, or in chemistry, biology, or microbiology

    4 years

    You learn the chemistry, microbiology, and processing principles behind food, and internships during this time help you build real lab skills.

  2. Quality Control Analyst

    6 months to 1 year

    You test food samples for safety, texture, and consistency in a plant or lab, which teaches you how food science works in real production.

  3. Food Scientist

    You research, develop, and improve food products and processes, using the lab and production experience you gained earlier.

Where it can lead

  1. Senior Food Scientist

    3-5 years of experience first

    You take on bigger projects, lead small teams, and make decisions about new products or processes that go into production.

  2. Research and Development Manager

    5+ years of experience first

    You plan and oversee product development for a team or company, which usually means strong leadership and communication skills on top of technical expertise.

What you can do now

Ideas for high school and college students.

In high school

  • Take chemistry, biology, and mathThese are the core subjects you'll use in food science, and strong grades in them will help you get into a good college program.
  • Join a science club or science fairDoing a project on food, such as testing how packaging affects freshness, gives you research experience and something to talk about in college applications.
  • Get a part-time job in food service or a grocery storeWorking with food teaches you about handling, storage, and customer expectations, which connect to the work food scientists do.
  • Volunteer with a food pantry or community food programThis shows you how food access, safety, and nutrition affect real people, which can help you decide if this career fits your interests.
  • Join an FFA chapter or agriculture club if your school has oneThese groups often include food processing and agriculture activities, plus leadership and public speaking practice.

In college

  • Major in food science, or in chemistry or microbiology with food coursesThese majors give you the scientific base you need, and many schools offer food chemistry, food microbiology, or food processing courses that go straight into this career.
  • Apply for a food industry or food lab internshipHands-on experience at a food company or university food lab is often the step that gets you your first job after graduation.
  • Get a campus job in a research lab or campus dining labLab work builds the testing, record-keeping, and data skills that food scientists use every day.
  • Join a food science or science student organizationClubs like this offer networking, guest speakers from the industry, and chances to take part in competitions or projects.
  • Take a food safety course such as HACCP trainingHACCP (Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points) is a common food safety system, and having this training on your resume shows you understand how food is kept safe in production.

Tips for getting started

  • Look for summer or part-time work in a food lab, a grocery or restaurant kitchen, or a food production facility. Seeing how food is made and checked will make your classes feel more real.
  • Ask science teachers or college professors about research projects. Hands-on lab experience often matters as much as grades when employers review applications.
  • Learn the basics of food safety early. Knowing how food is handled and kept safe will help you in almost any job in this field.

Related jobs that often lead here

Related jobs a step up

Education, experience and related careers: U.S. Department of Labor. The step-by-step path, where it can lead and what you can do now were written by AI as typical examples; many people take other ways.

College majors that lead here

Majors: U.S. Department of Education and BLS (CIP–SOC crosswalk). Earnings and debt: College Scorecard, typical across U.S. colleges.

Related careers