Food Scientist
Learn about this occupation – including typical duties, education required, salary and job outlook information, job boards and more.
Food scientists investigate the chemical, microbiological, physical and sensory nature of food, and apply their knowledge in the development, processing, preserving, packaging, distributing and storing of foodstuffs. Food scientists generally work in offices, laboratories and processing plants. (alis)
This profile page includes information about: Food Technologists, Food Chemists, Flavorists, Food Microbiologists, Research Chefs/Culinologists, and Cereal Chemists.
Occupational profile
Find detailed information about the occupation, including typical duties and working conditions, in the links below:
- National Occupation Classification (NOC) - Canadian occupational descriptions
- O*NET Online - U.S. resource for occupational descriptions and information
- OCCinfo by alis - Alberta-based occupational information (includes video)
- Career Explorer by Sokanu - U.S. occupational information and videos
- Article: The Food Network Effect - profile of Food Scientists from Science Careers
- A Day in the Life of a Research Chef - article from Food Processing
- Agricultural and Food Chemistry - overview from the American Chemical Society
- Let's Talk Science - Career Profile: Food Scientist
Education
U of M Academic Calendar
The Academic Calendar & Catalogue outlines program admission and course requirements. Use the left menu to navigate to a specific faculty and program. To determine which degree path suits your unique occupational goals, speak with a Career Consultant. For support with course registration and academic issues, speak with an Academic Advisor.
Faculty and Department Homepages
Visit the faculty and department homepage to learn about program application deadlines and processes, as well as additional in-house resources and opportunities.
Exploring Other Education Options
Labour market information
Labour market information informs users of supply and demand for specific occupations and sectors. It includes such things as salary and job outlook information. These resources support informed career decision making and job search efforts.
Resources
- Trend Analysis: Job Market Report (Winnipeg Region) - Gov. of Canada Job Bank
- Occupational Outlook Handbook - Job outlook for the U.S.
- Canada's Agricultural Sectors - overview from Agriculture & Agri-Food Canada
- Food and Beverage Industry and Subsector Reports - Food Processing Skills Canada
- OpportuNext - salary range and job growth prospects - Manitoba
Professional Associations
Professional associations organize events and directories, job postings, career and labour market information. Student membership opportunities are also available. This is a great way to learn and network.
- Canadian Institute of Food Science & Technology
- Research Chef's Association
- Institute of Food Technologists (U.S.)
- Institute of Food Science & Technology (U.K.)
- The Society of Flavor Chemists
- Canadian Nutrition Society
- Canadian Society of Microbiologists
Directories, Industry Associations, and Sector Councils
These resources provide industry news, labour market information and a list of potential employers. Remember, there are usually multiple industries worth exploring.
- Food & Beverage Manitoba - member directory
- Manitoba Food Products Directory (2009)
- Food, Health & Consumer Products of Canada - members
- Food Producers of Canada
- Listing of agriculture associations - Government of Manitoba
- Biosciences Association of Manitoba
- Wine Growers Canada (previously Canadian Vintners Association) - members directory
- Beer Canada - member brewing companies
- Food business directory (search by category for U.S. companies) - CareersInFood.com
Job Boards
Search occupations of interest in the industry-specific job boards below to learn about skill requirements, employers, job duties and available jobs. You may also wish to search more general online job boards.
Other links
External resources that will provide you with additional information about the occupation, areas of work and opportunities to build experience:
- Faculty of Agriculture Students' Organization (FASO) - University of Manitoba
- University of Manitoba Dairy Club (Facebook page)
- WISE Kid-netic Energy - University of Manitoba outreach program that offers hands on, curriculum based science, engineering and technology deliverables for youth in Kindergarten through grade 12
- Faculty Student Association and Clubs - University of Manitoba Faculty of Agricultural & Food Sciences
- Food in Canada - Canada's food & beverage processing magazine
- Western Food Processor magazine for western Canada's food industry
- Science Meets Food- articles and news from the Institute of Food Technologists
- Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada - view 'Students and Fellows' programs
- Manitoba Food Development Centre
- Canadian Agri-Food Policy Centre
- Canadian Nutrition Society
- International Union of Food Science & Technology
- Society for Canadian Women in Science and Technology
- Science Careers magazine - American Association for the Advancement of Science
- Canadian Food Inspection Agency - Government of Canada
- Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada - Government of Canada
- Article: World's Top 100 Food and Beverage Companies - Food Engineering magazine