Food Scientists and Technologists

Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources
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.

What a food scientists and technologist does

Become a food scientists and technologist

If you enjoy doing these activities, you might make a good food scientists and technologist

  • Listening to others, not interrupting, and asking good questions.
  • Reading work related information.
  • Noticing a problem and figuring out the best way to solve it.
  • Thinking about the pros and cons of different options and picking the best one.
  • Figuring out how a system should work and how changes in the future will affect it.

Discover what you could earn in Washington

  • Average hourly rate is $41 per hour with an average salary of $84,500 per year.
  • Half of workers earn between $32 and $48 per hour.
  • Half of workers earn an annual salary between $67,300 and $100,900 per year.

Food Scientists And Technologist job outlook

  • There are 26 openings per year in this occupation in Washington.

Growth rate by year

Education needed

Most of these occupations require a four-year bachelor's degree, but some do not.

Programs to get you there

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