Food Science: Now What?
Quick Facts: Agricultural and Food Scientists
Found on the Occupational Outlook Handbook
- 2021 Median Pay: $74,160 per year
- Entry-Level Education: Bachelor's degree
- Work Experience in a Related Occupation: None
- On-the-job Training: None
- Number of Jobs, 2020: 37,400
- Job Outlook, 2020-30: 9% (As fast as average)
- Employment Change, 2020-30: 3,200
What is Food Science?
Food science is the real-life application of chemistry, chemical engineering, microbiology, nutrition, physics, statistics, and law to the production, processing, preservation, evaluation, and distribution of food. Food scientists want to understand food processes to ultimately improve food products and processes for the general public along with the assurance of food safety and quality. They do this by developing high standards of quality and safety, new methods of manufacture, preservation, and storage of foods, new products, and new packaging materials/methods.
The basis of the discipline lies in an understanding of the chemistry of food components, such as proteins, carbohydrates, fats and water and the reactions they undergo during processing and storage. A complete understanding of processing and preservation methods is required including drying, freezing, pasteurization, canning, irradiation, extrusion, to name just a few. The ability to carry out analysis of food constituents is developed along with statistical quality control methods. The microbiology and the safety aspects of food must also be understood. Other topics covered include food additives, the physico-chemical properties of food, flavor chemistry, product development, food engineering and packaging.
What do food scientists do?
Applying additional concepts from animal science, nutrition, physics, statistics, and law, food scientists study the physical, microbiological, and chemical makeup of food, and are responsible for developing safe, nutritious, and abundant foods using cost effective methods. Agricultural and food scientists research ways to improve the efficiency and safety of agricultural establishments and products. They improve the quality, safety, storage and taste of our food. They may work for private industry to develop new products or improve processing. They may also work for government agencies such as the Food and Drug Administration to inspect food products and handlers to protect us from contamination or harmful practices. Food scientists test products to supply information used for the nutrition labels or to determine how packaging and storage affects the safety and quality of the food. Flavorists work with chemicals to change the taste of food, improve sensory appeal, by enhancing color, odor or texture. Graduates in Food Science may work in the industry, or may seek additional graduate or professional training in medicine, dentistry, business and law.
Work Environment
Agricultural and food scientists work in laboratories, in offices, and in the field. Most agricultural and food scientists work full time.
How to Become an Agricultural or Food Scientist
Agricultural and food scientists need at least a bachelor’s degree from an accredited postsecondary institution, although many get advanced degrees.
Selection of Employers for recent (Class of 2023 & 2024) UMass Amherst Food Science alumni:
• Allen Flavors Inc.
• Anheuser-Busch
• Berkshire Brewing Company
• BeVrada
• Beyond Meat
• Boston Beer Company
• Chew
• Circe Bioscience
• Costa Fruit & Produce
• Crossfit One Nation
• Damascus Bakery
• Diluigi Foods
• Dunkin' Brands
• Finlays
• Gerber
• Ginseng Up Corp
• Harbar LLC
• Harvard Bioscience
• Home Market Foods
• HP Hood LLC
• Lactalis American Group
• Laird Superfood
• Lindt Chocolate (USA), Inc.
• Markforged
• Natural Alternatives International
• New England Natural Bakers
• Next Barn Over
• Northeast Apple Company
• Ocean Spray Cranberries
• ripe.io
• SharkNinja
• Summit Nutritional Lab
• Table Talk Pie
• Taza Chocolate
• The Culinary Institute of America
• The Kraft Heinz Company
• Tribe Hummus, Nestlé
• US Army
• Valley Shepherd Creamery
• Vermont Creamery
• Walking Softer
• Welch’s
• Wildtype
• Worldcare Clinical
Where Might I Do an Internship?
UMass Amherst Food Science students have held internships at the following sites:
• Agrimark
• Analytical Testing Laboratory
• August West Wines
• Bay State Milling
• Bigelow Tea
• Bill State Milling
• Campbell’s
• Cedar’s Mediterranean Food
• Clover Food Lab
• ConAgra Foods
• Dunkin’ Brands
• Fibron Technologies
• FoodState Inc.
• Friendly’s Ice Cream
• Green Dirt Farm
• HP Hood
• IBM (China)
• Israel Way Oranim Project
• Kraft Heinz
• Lightlife Foods
• MassPIRG
• Motif FoodWorks
• Nestle
• Nestle Purina
• Nu Products Seasoning
• Pepperidge Farms
• Roar Wines
• SharkNinja
• Sweetgreen
• Town of Westwood, MA
• University of Massachusetts Amherst
• US Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
What are some of the job titles in food science?
Food Research and Development Scientist
• Develops new and improved food products and processes to meet consumer wants and needs
• Develops laboratory prototypes and participates in factory scale-up to produce products found on grocery store shelves
Food Ingredient Technical Salesman
• Contacts industrial users of food ingredients
• Provides technical insight and help
• Often requires travel
Quality Assurance Director
• Monitors food processing and assures final product quality
• Generates specifications and supervises analyses of raw materials and ingredients
Food Molecular Biologist
• Manipulates cells to produce useful food ingredients, flavors, and other components
• Transforms genetic characteristics of food commodities to enhance production, processing, and final product attributes
Food Plant Production Manager
• Manages and supervises food processing plant employees; solves production problems
• Monitors supplies and equipment to assure economical production
College Teacher, Professor
• Instructs students
• Conducts basic and applied food research
More Job Titles in Food Science:
Who Could I Work For?
Some of the Largest Food Companies:
• Alaska General Seafoods
• Anheuser-Busch Co.
• Archer Daniels Midland
• Campbell Soup Co.
• Cargill Inc.
• Con Agra
• Dannon
• Dole Foods Co.
• General Mills Inc.
• Gorton’s
• Hershey Foods
• H.J. Heinz
• Hormel Foods Corp.
• Kellogg Co.
• Kraft Foods Group
• Mars Inc.
• Nabisco, Inc.
• Nestle
• Ocean Spray
• PepsiCo, Inc.
• Proctor & Gamble
• Quaker Oats Co.
• Sara Lee Corp.
• Taco Bell
• Tyson Foods Inc.
• Unilever
• Welch’s
Additional Employers in the Food Sciences:
• Odwalla
• FDA
• General Mills
• Idahoan Foods
• Mio Liquid Flavors
• LDS Welfare Services
• Leprino Foods
• Lofthouse Cookies
• McCain Foods • McCormick Spices
• Meadow Gold Dairy
• Morinda
• Mrs. Fields Original Cookies
• National Food Processors Association
• Nature's Sunshine
• Nuskin
• Nutraceutical Corporation
• Otis Spunkmeyer • Otto & Sons
• Rich's Corporation
• Shasta
• Stouffer's Frozen Foods
• Sunkist
• Sweet's Candy
• Twin Lab
• USDA
• Weider Nutrition International
Career Planning Resources & Websites
UMass Amherst CNS Career Center cns.umass.edu/careers
UMass Amherst Career Services Events Calendar www.umass.edu/careers
UMass Food Science Club https://www.foodsci.umass.edu/about/
FOCUS2 Career and Education Planning www.umass.edu/careers/planning for sign-in button
What Can I Do With This Major? https://www.umass.edu/careers/planning (Click on "What Can I do with this Major" icon on the right-hand column.)
Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Outlook Handbook www.bls.gov/ooh/agricult-and-food-scientists
Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Outlook Handbook www.bls.gov/ooh/ food-science-technicians
O-Net: “Food Science” www.onetonline.org
Massachusetts Career Information System http://masscis.intocareers.org
(Click Mass Resident to login with “Amherst/01003” Then click “Occupations” or “Assessments”)
Getting Started with Research at UMass https://www.umass.edu/studentsuccess/your-future
Potential Career Paths and Salaries in Food Sci http://foodscience.psu.edu/majors/careers
* Institute for Food Technologists Career Learning Ctr http://careers.ift.org/jobseekers/resources
Guide for Nutrition and Food Science Majors www.worldwidelearn.com
Top 15 Jobs in Agriculture https://www.indeed.com/career-advice
Food Sci Undergrad and Grad Programs http://www.ift.org/community/students.aspx
Food Science Job Search Resources (* = of particular note)
* UMass Handshake Database of Internships & Jobs https://umass.joinhandshake.com/
Cereals & Grains Association https://www.cerealsgrains.org/
American Chemical Society www.acs.org/content/acs/en/careers.html
American Society for Microbiology: Career Connections www.asmcareerconnections.org
AOAC International (agricultural chemistry) https://www.aoac.org/
* Careers In Food www.careersinfood.com
Careers in Food Science (UC Davis List) https://foodscience.ucdavis.edu
Food Force https://forcebrands.com/foodforce
Food Service / Food System Jobs https://www.goodfoodjobs.com/search
Local Food Lab Blog https://localfoodlab.com/
* Local Food Science Jobs on LinkedIn www.linkedin.com/vsearch/j?type=jobs
* Institute of Food Technologists (IFT) http://careers.ift.org/jobseekers/index.cfm
Society for Industrial Microbiology and Biotech http://careers.simbhq.org
General Science Jobs
* More sites for Life Science Jobs www.masslifesciences.com/resources
General Science Jobs (widely defined) http://jobs.sciencecareers.org
General Science Jobs (widely defined) http://jobs.newscientist.com
NatureJobs (widely defined) www.nature.com/naturejobs/science/
Science Journal www.sciencemag.org/careers
List of Science Job Sites http://botw.org/top/Science/Employment
Government Agencies
Food and Drug Administration (FDA) jobs https://www.fda.gov/
US Dept of Agriculture (USDA) jobs https://www.usajobs.gov/Search/Results?d=AG
Internships and Research Opportunities
* Finding Independent Lab Research On Campus www.umass.edu/biochem/undergraduate/lab
* Office of Undergraduate Research and Studies (OURS) www.umass.edu/ours
* Mass Life Sciences Internship Program www.masslifesciences.com/programs
* STEM Internships in Federal Government https://www.science.gov
* Summer STEM Research Opportunities www.pathwaystoscience.org/Undergrads
Food Science Professional Organizations
Cereals & Grains Association https://www.cerealsgrains.org/
American Chemical Society (ACS) www.acs.org
American Dairy Science Association (ADSA) www.adsa.org
American Meat Science Association (AMSA) www.meatscience.org
American Oil Chemists' Society (AOCS) www.aocs.org
American Society of Microbiology (ASM) www.asm.org
AOAC International (agricultural chemists) www.aoac.org
Food Marketing Institute (FMI) www.fmi.org
Institute for Food Safety and Health (IFSH) www.iit.edu/ifsh
Institute of Food Safety and Technology (IFST) www.ifst.org
* Institute of Food Technologists (IFT) www.ift.org
* IFT Student Association (IFTSA) https://www.ift.org/community/students
Intl Union of Food Science and Technology (IUFoST) www.iufost.org
IFT List of International Organizations www.ift.org/about-us/allied-organizations.aspx
* USDA list of additional professional organizations https://www.usda.gov/agencies
Important Transferable Skills to Include On Your Resume
Communication skills. Communication skills are critical for agricultural and food scientists. They must explain their studies: what they were trying to learn, the methods they used, what they found, and what they think the implications of their findings are. They must also communicate well when working with others, including technicians and student assistants.
Critical-thinking skills. Agricultural and food scientists must use their expertise to determine the best way to answer a specific research question.
Data-analysis skills. Agricultural and food scientists, like other researchers, collect data using a variety of methods, including quantitative surveys. They must then apply standard data analysis techniques to understand the data and get the answers to the questions they are studying.
Math skills. Agricultural and food scientists, like many other scientists, must have a sound grasp of mathematical concepts.
Observation skills. Agricultural and food scientists conduct experiments that require precise observation of samples and other data. Any mistake could lead to inconclusive or inaccurate results.
Analytical skills. Must be able to conduct scientific experiments and analyses with accuracy and precision.
Interpersonal skills. Typically work on research teams and need to be able to work well with others toward a common goal. Many also serve as team leaders and must be able to motivate and direct other team members.
Math skills. Regularly use complex equations and formulas in their work, and they need a broad understanding of mathematics, including calculus and statistics.
Perseverance. Scientific research involves substantial trial and error, and one must not become discouraged.
Problem-solving skills. Use scientific experiments and analysis to find solutions to complex scientific problems.
Speaking skills. Frequently give presentations and must be able to explain their research to others.
Writing skills. Write memos, reports, and research papers that explain their findings.
What Do Employers Look For? (Source: NACE 2024 Job Outlook for Students)
Top 10 Skills Employers Seek on Candidate Resumes
- Problem-solving skills
- Ability to work in a team
- Communication skills (written)
- Strong work ethic
- Flexibility/adaptability
- Communication (verbal)
- Technical Skills
- Analytical/Quantitative Skills
- Initiative
- Detail-oriented
Top 7 Attributes that can positively influence employers the most
- Internship with the organization
- Internship within the industry
- Major
- General work experience
- Leadership experience
- Extracurricular activities
- High GPA (3.0 or above)