DETAILED OCCUPATION DATA
19-1012 Food Scientists and Technologists
Occupational Description:
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.| Percentiles | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Geography | Employment | Emp SE* | Mean | Mean SE* | 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th |
| Southwest Balance of State | N/A | N/A | $32.12/hr | $1.32/hr | $25.96/hr | $28.06/hr | $31.47/hr | $36.34/hr | $39.71/hr |
| Minnesota | 630 | 210 | $39.47/hr | $1.70/hr | $23.01/hr | $28.21/hr | $35.97/hr | $48.40/hr | $61.91/hr |
| U S | 13,460 | 592 | $37.01/hr | $0.52/hr | $19.60/hr | $25.64/hr | $33.50/hr | $46.05/hr | $60.55/hr |
| *SE = Standard error, a measure of the statistical reliability of the estimate. | |||||||||
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| Occupation (click title for details) | OES | Projections | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Employment | Median Wage | % Change - | |
| Agricultural Inspectors | 50 | $22.20/hr | N/A |
| First-Line Supervisors/Managers of Farming, Fishing, and Forestry Workers | 20 | $27.32/hr | N/A |
Tasks for Food Scientists and Technologists
- Conducts research on new products and development of foods, applying scientific and engineering principles.
- Studies methods to improve physical, chemical, and microbiological composition of foods.
- Develops food standards, safety and sanitary regulations, and waste management and water supply specifications.
- Confers with process engineers, flavor experts, and packaging and marketing specialists to resolve problems in product development.
- Tests new products in test kitchen.
- Studies methods to improve quality of foods, such as flavor, color, texture, nutritional value, and convenience.
- Develops new and improved methods and systems for food processing, production, quality control, packaging, and distribution.
