Food Scientists
On the Job
Food Scientists use scientific methods to study and analyze foods. They research the nutritional content, food safety, and the ways foods are processed and distributed.
Typical Work Tasks
People who work in this career often:
- Collaborate with technical specialists to resolve design or development problems.
- Confer with clients to exchange information.
- Research methods to improve food products.
- Review professional literature to maintain professional knowledge.
- Establish standards for products, processes, or procedures.
- Inspect areas for compliance with sanitation standards.
- Test quality of materials or finished products.
- Evaluate new technologies or methods.
- Evaluate quality of materials or products.
Typical Working Conditions
- Using e-mail.
- Working indoors in environmentally controlled conditions.
- Working with a group or team.
- The importance of being accurate or exact.
- Meeting strict deadlines.
- Wearing common protective or safety equipment such as safety shoes, glasses, gloves, hearing protection, hard hats, or life jackets.
- Freedom to make decisions without supervision.
- Responsibility for others' health and safety.
- Responsibility for outcomes and results.
- Sitting.
This page includes information from the O*NET 24.2 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.
Source: You can learn about our data sources in the About Us section.
