Great Jobs With a Degree in Food Science

Food science is the study of the physical, biological, and chemical makeup of food and the concepts involved in food processing. Food technology is the application of food science in the selection, preservation, processing, packaging, distribution, and use of safe and healthy food. 

An undergraduate food science degree makes the students ready for fruitful and prosperous careers. Food science graduates are leaders in food production and processing, quality assurance and control. 

The need for trained food scientists has grown rapidly in pace with consumer demands for convenient, safe, and nutritious food and beverages.

If you are currently studying for a degree in food science, you might be probably wondering what careers will be available. While there are some jobs that are directly related to a food science degree, such as a food technologist or a nutritional therapist, there are also many roles that don’t directly relate to your degree but use many of the skills you’ve picked up along the way.

5 Great Jobs With a Degree in Food Science

A degree as broad as food science  offers many different options and it can easily make you feel discouraged when you are trying to figure out which job is right for you. Let us take a look at some popular careers for food science graduates, and help you in choosing a career.

Nutritional Therapist

Nutritional therapists help people improve and maintain their health and wellbeing through proper diet and nutrition. Hence you will need to know a lot about nutrition and diet. Good communication skills as you will be dealing with a wide range of clients.

If you are good at understanding and identifying potentially difficult facts and concepts and hence are able to explain them in a clear and informative way, then you should look at becoming a nutritional therapist.

As a nutritional therapist, you will typically work privately, help individuals on a one-on-one basis by personally guiding them dietary instructions. This could prove helpful for healthy individuals to prevent illness, or ill individuals to prevent symptoms worsening.

According to the Bureau of Labour Statistics (BLS), their average salary is $61,270 per year and an expected growth rate of about 11%.

Food Quality Assurance Manager

Food Quality Assurance Managers are about as close as you can get to a police role in the food industry. Individuals working in quality assurance make sure that food products meet the correct standards set out in the regulations and comply with all internal and external requirements. 

The role also requires you to gather and clarify data on current standards and procedures, reporting any findings to senior management with suggestions on how to improve them.

This career requires you to have a logical mindset, organized and have a strategic testing methodology to meet regulatory authority compliance in regard to the company product with excellent problem-solving skills. It also requires you to have leadership skills along with the ability to work in a team.

According to the Bureau of Labour Statistics (BLS), their average salary is $55,320 per year and 11% expected growth rate.

Animal Nutritionist

You might want to work as an animal nutritionist if you like working around animals and care about the health and safety of animals. 

These professionals work in zoos, veterinary hospitals etc. They must understand the dietary requirements of different animals and the type of food those animals eat. 

Animal nutritionists determine the amount of intake of calories required by different animals and ensure that those animals receive the proper nutrition.

Their average annual salary is $72,702.

Research Scientist

You can enter the world of food science to work as a research scientist or food science technician. 

The food science technicians work with research institutes, farmers and organizations that want to improve the quality of food. They perform tests on soil samples, research ongoing methods and do research into what changes those organizations and individuals should bring. 

The position may require working around people or animals and not just the ingredients. 

According to the Bureau of Labour Statistics (BLS), their average salary is $122,840 per year and 16% of the expected growth rate.

Food Scientist

This role makes you work closely with the production team to research and develop innovative recipes using new and existing ingredients. 

These recipes may need to satisfy a particular condition, such as having a low fat or sugar content or be suitable for a specific purpose.You will need to make sure that all food products are at an acceptable safety and quality, and that all legal requirements are fulfilled.

This role demands extremely high standards of hygiene and safety, exceptional problem-solving skills, being creative as well as the ability to work well in a team.

According to the Bureau of Labour Statistics (BLS), their average salary is $65,160 per year and 7% expected growth rate.

Conclusion

With one of these great jobs in food science, you can work for a conglomeration of farmers, government agencies etc. Also, there are many non-profit organizations that might provide you with some internship opportunities. Hence before choosing the minor in your college, look at some more common jobs with a degree in food science to decide what you should study.