Food Science: Now What?

Food Science…NOW WHAT?

[Source: Dept. of Labor Occupational Outlook Handbook]

What is Food Science?  

Food science is thereal-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. 

Work Environment

Agricultural and food scientists work in laboratories, in offices, and in the field. Agricultural and food scientists typically work full time. Fieldwork includes visits to farms or processing plants.

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.

Where Could I Do an Internship? UMass Amherst Food Science students have held internships at these sites:

• Agrimark
• Analytical Testing Laboratory (Belmont)
• Bay State Milling
• Bigelow Tea
• Cedar’s Mediterranean Foods
• Clover Food Lab
• ConAgra Foods
• Dunkin’ Brands
• FoodState Inc.
• HP Hood
• Ken’s Foods
• Kraft Heinz
• Lindt USA
• Motif FoodWorks
• Nestle
• Nestle Purina
• Ocean Spray
• SharkNinja 
• Sweetgreen
• Town of Westwood, MA
• University of Massachusetts Amherst
• University of Nebraska
• US Food and Drug Administration (FDA)

To read more about these (and more) internships, check out the CNS Experiential Learning Database. Click Departments on the right to filter by major.

Selection of Employers for recent (Class of 2023-2026) UMass Amherst Food Science alumni:

• Ahold Delhaize
• Allen Flavors Inc.
• Alliant Food Safety Labs
• Anheuser-Busch
• Berkshire Brewing Company
• Beyond Meat
• Boston Beer Company
• Bove’s
• Carolina Ingredients
• Chew
• Circe Bioscience
• CommonWealth Kitchen
• ColdSnap
• Costa Fruit & Produce
• Demakes Enterprises
• Diluigi Foods
• Dr. Pepper
• Dunkin' Brands
• Finlays
• General Mills Inc.
• Gerber
• Harbar LLC
• Harvard Bioscience
• Home Market Foods
• HP Hood LLC
• Kraft Heinz Company
• Lactalis American Group
• Lindt Chocolate (USA), Inc.
• LSG Sky Chefs
• Mars, Inc
• Melville Candy Corporation
• Motif FoodWorks
• Nestle Purina
• Northeast Apple Company
• Ocean Spray
• Perkin Elmer
• SharkNinja
• Symrise
• Table Talk Pie
• Tribe Hummus, Nestlé
• Two Roads Brewing Company
• UL Solutions
• Valley Shepherd Creamery
• Vermont Creamery
• Welch’s
• Wildtype Seafood

Who Else Could I Work For?

Major Employers in Food Science:

• Alaska General Seafoods
• Archer Daniels Midland
• Campbell Soup Co.
• Cargill Inc.
• Con Agra
• Dannon
• Dole Foods Co.
• FDA
• Gorton’s
• Hershey Foods
• Hormel Foods
• Idahoan Foods
• Kellogg Co.
• McCain Foods
• McCormick Spices
• Nabisco, Inc.
• National Food Processors Association
• Odwalla
• PepsiCo, Inc.
• Proctor & Gamble
• Quaker Oats Co.
• Sara Lee Corp.
• Tyson Foods Inc.
• Unilever
• USDA
• Welch’s

Selection of Graduate Schools for recent (Class of 2026) UMass Amherst Food Science alumni:

• MS in Food Science at UMass Amherst
• MS in Food Science at Cornell University 
• MS in Food Science & Technology at Lund University
• MS in Nutrition at Tufts University  

Career Planning Resources & Websites

UMass Amherst CNS Career Center                                      cns.umass.edu/careers

UMass Career Exploration Tools                                                  www.umass.edu/careers/career-journey/self-discovery 

Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Outlook               https://www.bls.gov/ooh/

O-NET (search Food Scientists)                                              www.onetonline.org

Career Paths/Salaries in Food Science (Penn State)              http://foodscience.psu.edu/majors/careers

Careers in Food Science (UC Davis)                                      https://foodscience.ucdavis.edu

Institute of Food Technologists Career Planning                        https://careers.ift.org/career-resources

Food Science Job Boards

Internships and Research Opportunities

UMass Handshake Database                                                  https://umass.joinhandshake.com/

Office of Undergraduate Research and Studies (OURS)              www.umass.edu/ours

Careers in Food Job Board                     https://www.careersinfood.com/jobs.cfm?employmenttype=1728

Thinking Food Jobs Newsletter                                              https://thinkingfoodjobs.substack.com/

Jobs in Food Science

UMass Handshake Database                                                          https://umass.joinhandshake.com/

Cereals & Grains Association                                                 https://careers.cerealsgrains.org/ 

Careers In Food                                                                        https://www.careersinfood.com/jobs.cfm

Food Force                                                                                https://forcebrands.com/jobs 

Food Service / Food System Jobs                                          https://www.goodfoodjobs.com/search

Institute of Food Technologists (IFT)                                    https://careers.ift.org/jobs/

American Society for Microbiology: Career Connections              www.asmcareerconnections.org

Food and Drug Administration (FDA) jobs                           www.usajobs.gov/Search/Results?a=HE36

US Dept of Agriculture (USDA) jobs                                      https://www.usajobs.gov/Search/Results?d=AG

Thinking Food Jobs Newsletter                                              https://thinkingfoodjobs.substack.com/

What are some of the job titles in food science?

More Job Titles in Food Science:

Food Scientist, Biochemist, Cereal Scientist, Dairy Products Scientist, Director of Quality Assurance, FDS/USDA Research Scientist, Flavor Chemist, Food Engineer, Food Industry R&D, Food Ingredient Sales, Food Inspector, Food Microbiologist, Food Product Consultant, Food Product Developer, Food Safety Inspector, Food Technologist, Food Toxicologist, General Manager Research, Laboratory Director, Manager-Analytical Lab, Manager-Meat Applications, Market Researcher, Meat Scientist, Natural Products Researcher, New Technologies, Packaging Specialist, Plant Manager, Plant Supervisor, Product Development, Product Leader-Technology, Product/Project Manager, Public Health Official, Quality Assurance Director, Quality Assurance Manager, Quality Assurance Supervisor, Research and Development, Research Scientist, Quality Assurance Officer, Sales Manager, Scientific and Regulatory Affairs, Scientific Research, Senior Food Scientist, Sensory Evaluation Expert, Sensory Scientist, Technology Development Manager, Technical Sales Representative

Important Transferable Skills to Include on Your Resume

Analytical/Problem-solving skills. Food scientists must be able to conduct scientific experiments and analyses with accuracy and precision and use scientific experiments and analysis to find solutions to complex scientific problems.

Communication skills. Communication skills are critical for 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.            

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.

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.

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. Agricultural and food scientists regularly use complex equations and formulas in their work, and they need a broad understanding of mathematics, including calculus and statistics.

Observational 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.

Perseverance. Scientific research involves substantial trial and error, and food scientists must not become discouraged.

What Do Employers Look For? (NACE 2026 Job Outlook for Students)

Top 10 Skills Employers Seek on a Candidate’s Resume:

1. Teamwork
2. Problem-Solving
3. Communication (verbal)
4. Technical Skills
5. Communication (written)
6. Work Ethic
7. Analytical/Quantitative Skills
8. Initiative
9. Leadership Potential
10. Detail-Oriented