Food and Agricultural Scientist / Technologist
Quick Facts
Median Salary$85,230
Most Common EducationBachelor's degree
Projected 10-Year Growth+24.60%
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What They Do
A Food and Agricultural Scientist or Technologist studies plants and animals used in food production. Researches topics related to improving quality and productivity in agriculture and livestock farming, or food science and nutrition. May specialize in applying food science to food product development.
Core Tasks:
- 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.
- Confer with process engineers, plant operators, flavor experts, and packaging and marketing specialists to resolve problems in product development.
- Study the structure and composition of food or the changes foods undergo in storage and processing.
- Stay up to date on new regulations and current events regarding food science by reviewing scientific literature.
- 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.
- Evaluate food processing and storage operations and assist in the development of quality assurance programs for such operations.
- Demonstrate products to clients.
- Seek substitutes for harmful or undesirable additives, such as nitrites.
What to expect as a Food and Agricultural Scientist / Technologist
1Earn a Bachelor's degree
57% of people achieve this level of education.
2Gain skills and experience
See Food and Agricultural Scientist / Technologist related courses on Tallo
3Land a job
406 openings for Food and Agricultural Scientists / Technologists
Career Progression
in United States (Nation)
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