Occupations/19-1012.00
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.
Usually a four-year bachelor’s degree.
AI automation risk
50%
Mixed exposure
Human characteristics
54%
Balanced human and task mix
Task orientation
49%
Mixed exposure
A day in this job
- Mostly routine
Inspect food processing areas to ensure compliance with government regulations and standards for sanitation, safety, quality, and waste management.
- Task
Check raw ingredients for maturity or stability for processing, and finished products for safety, quality, and nutritional value.
- Task
Study methods to improve aspects of foods, such as chemical composition, flavor, color, texture, nutritional value, and convenience.
The tasks we can read here lean routine. That sits next to the AI risk rank — it is not a forecast that the job disappears.
Core tasks
- 01Inspect food processing areas to ensure compliance with government regulations and standards for sanitation, safety, quality, and waste management.
- 02Check raw ingredients for maturity or stability for processing, and finished products for safety, quality, and nutritional value.
- 03Study methods to improve aspects of foods, such as chemical composition, flavor, color, texture, nutritional value, and convenience.
- 04Develop food standards and production specifications, safety and sanitary regulations, and waste management and water supply specifications.
- 05Stay up to date on new regulations and current events regarding food science by reviewing scientific literature.
- 06Study the structure and composition of food or the changes foods undergo in storage and processing.
Model drivers (O*NET 1–5)
- Repeating same tasks2.90
- Degree of automation2.24
- Time sitting3.05
- Originality (ability)3.62
- Conflict situations2.86
- Hands-on objects/tools2.91
- Outdoors / weather1.71
- Disease exposure1.43
- Decision freedom3.95
Top abilities
- Problem Sensitivity4.12
- Written Expression4.00
- Written Comprehension4.00
- Oral Expression4.00
- Oral Comprehension4.00
- Near Vision4.00
- Information Ordering4.00
- Inductive Reasoning4.00
Essential skills
- Reading Comprehension4.00
- Active Listening3.88
- Writing3.88
- Speaking3.88
- Mathematics3.12
- Science3.88
- Critical Thinking4.00
- Active Learning4.00
- Learning Strategies3.00
- Monitoring3.62
CIP matches
Schools offering related programs
12 of 35 shown
Earnings are College Scorecard medians for that program, 1 and 2 years after completion. A dash means the Department suppressed the cell or the campus is not in the field file.
| Institution | Program | Tuition | Admit | Grad 6-yr | Earnings |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
California State University-Long Beach Long Beach, CA · Public | Agriculture, General 01.0000 | $7,100 | 40% | 74% | 1 yr — 2 yr $67,660 Master's · CIP 01.00 |
University of Wisconsin-Madison Madison, WI · Public | Food Science 01.1001 | $11,200 | 49% | 89% | 1 yr $55,693 2 yr $58,673 Bachelor's · CIP 01.10 |
San Jose State University San Jose, CA · Public | Food Science 01.1001 | $8,200 | 77% | 71% | 1 yr $52,875 2 yr — Bachelor's · CIP 01.10 |
University of California-Berkeley Berkeley, CA · Public | Agriculture, General 01.0000 | $14,800 | 11% | 93% | 1 yr $49,644 2 yr $33,281 Bachelor's · CIP 01.00 |
Michigan State University East Lansing, MI · Public | Food Science 01.1001 | $16,100 | 88% | 82% | 1 yr $48,432 2 yr $45,221 Bachelor's · CIP 01.10 |
Texas A & M University-College Station College Station, TX · Public | Agriculture, General 01.0000 | $13,200 | 63% | 83% | 1 yr $47,650 2 yr $45,383 Bachelor's · CIP 01.00 |
University of North Dakota Grand Forks, ND · Public | Agriculture, General 01.0000 | $10,800 | 83% | 66% | 1 yr $47,260 2 yr — Bachelor's · CIP 01.00 |
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Champaign, IL · Public | Food Science 01.1001 | $17,500 | 45% | 85% | 1 yr $45,435 2 yr $45,127 Bachelor's · CIP 01.10 |
Boston University Boston, MA · Private nonprofit | Culinary Science/Culinology 12.0509 | $65,200 | 14% | 89% | 1 yr $42,682 2 yr $42,682 Master's · CIP 12.05 |
Texas State Technical College Waco, TX · Public | Agriculture, General 01.0000 | $7,200 | 100% | 45% | 1 yr $40,467 2 yr $37,748 Bachelor's · CIP 01.00 |
South Dakota State University Brookings, SD · Public | Agriculture, General 01.0000 | $9,600 | 99% | 66% | 1 yr $39,585 2 yr $39,369 Bachelor's · CIP 01.00 |
Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus University Park, PA · Public | Agriculture, General 01.0000 | $19,600 | 55% | 86% | 1 yr $37,424 2 yr $27,048 Bachelor's · CIP 01.00 |